Silent Moon
by StOrpheia
Summary: Artemis Titus was brought up in the one of the darkest pureblood Wizarding families. How is it then that she ended up in Gryffindor? Denied by her family, and unable to make amends with her house, she is alone, and silent. Can Remus Lupin change that?
1. The Shock

Artemis Titus had never been alone. Born three minutes and seventeen seconds after her twin brother, Apollo, she had always had someone close by the share her life with. Her brother and her family had been everything to her growing up. It was all that she knew.

Growing up in one of the most prominent and oldest of pureblood lines, Artemis was always surrounded by equals. The Titus family was known for a number of things. First, for their fierce loyalty to the purity of their family line; second, the fact that they were perhaps one of the most notorious and feared families in the wizarding world (second only to the Blacks); and third (for Artemis, most importantly), for the graceful and dignified way that they raised their children. Titus children did not argue, nor did they boast. They were articulate, and cunning, and knew when they ought, and ought not to speak. The family had a long line of dark haired, and light eyed features. Occasionally, this trait was skipped due to the mixing of blood. For instance, Apollo and Artemis had blonde hair that shone brightly in both the sun, and the low lighting found in the Titus family. This trait came from their mother, who came from Nott family. Yes, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes, cool as ice.

The Titus family was known for their pride, and their dignity, oh yes. Never a toe out of line, lest you receive a harsh punishment from Father, a tall, broad shouldered gentlemen with a particular fondness for using his leather belt. Therefore, the children were always on their best behavior, always aware that they were representatives of the family, and should do nothing to disgrace it.

Artemis had never found this life to be too difficult. She understood how her family worked. Under her parents' eyes, she and Apollo were perfect angels, not a toe out of line. They spoke of their distaste for Muggles, Muggle-borns, and blood traitors. In fact, Apollo spoke with true sincerity. Artemis, however, kept her mouth shut, merely asking herself questions as she went to bed at night. Were Muggles really that bad? And Muggle-borns as well? Surely, they had done nothing wrong? No, they must have; otherwise, her family would not be so opposed to them. Her family must know best. Despite her secret questions, Artemis never shied away from making fun of the few Muggle-born children she had met in Diagon Alley, or in the small wizarding village they lived on the edge of. No, for if Artemis showed her true colors, her family would certainly not approve.

So, as September first came, and the Titus twins set off for their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Artemis knew exactly who she would be. She would no doubt be in Slytherin house, same as every member of her family. That was without saying. She planned however to completely dominate her school. She would show her family that she was worthy of their love and affection, and become a powerful figure amongst her classmates. Others would ask her opinion, and wish to know what she thought on matters. Yes, Artemis Titus would be at the top of the school.

That's why she was so nonchalant when she saw her other classmates being sorted. She didn't care who went where, she just wanted to begin her first of seven wonderful years. A small jolt came when she saw the eldest Black boy being sorted into Gryffindor ("Oh the shame!" she thought to herself). Even that passed quickly. She couldn't wait to stand beside her brother and be in completely control. That's why she was bored and barely paying attention as her peers were soon moving to different tables, and settling into their new homes. Yes, she couldn't wait for others to envy her, and want to be her. That's why she was so un-surprised when her brother sat at the three-legged stool, and with barely even touching his head, the Sorting Hat shouted for all to hear, "Slytherin!"

This sorting was so pointless. Why even bothering asking it, she thought, as the hat now slipped onto her head, when she knew where she was going already? When she already had her entire future planned.

And that's why Artemis Titus fainted when the Sorting Hat, old and wise called out not Slytherin, but:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

It was in that moment that Artemis Titus was to begin a year, not on top, not powerful, as she had predicted, but alone.


	2. The First Year

Top of Form

The next day, it was the talk of the school. Artemis Titus was a Gryffindor, AND she fainted! It had been enough of a shock to see Sirius Black sorted into the house of the brave and courageous, but he had seemed quite pleased with himself. Black had already made friends with the Potter boy, and another sickly looking first year boy. So, Sirius Black's sorting was swept under the rug, to be ignored.

No, the shock and the gossip all about Hogwarts was of Artemis. Few had actually met her; the Titus family was known to only associate themselves with other powerful pureblood families, and many at Hogwarts had never had an invitation to the Titus home. Those who had were all in Slytherin, save for Black, but even they said that Artemis usually kept to herself, or tagged along with her more talkative twin brother, Apollo. But they still knew who she was, and what house she was expected to be sorted into. Artemis was the joke of Slytherin house, many mocking her fainting that night as they made their way to their dungeon dorms. Gryffindors on the other hand weren't sure what to make of it. They not only had one, but two heirs to dark wizarding families join their ranks. Sirius had been welcomed with open arms; would Artemis?

To make matters infinitely worse, Artemis didn't even get to spend the night in Gryffindor tower. She awoke the next morning in a wing of the castle filled with white sheeted beds, blue pulled back curtains next to them. She was the only person what must be the hospital wing of Hogwarts. Sitting up, she felt her head pounding in her skull, heavier but not nearly as fast as the pounding of her heart. How did she end up in here? She was in the Great Hall, getting sorted when...when...

Artemis looked around. A chair sat to the immediate right of her bed. There on the wooden chair sat a fresh set of robes, as well as the school uniform. Over the top edge of the chair hung a crimson red and vibrant gold striped tie. Artemis felt her stomach sink. It hadn't been a nightmare. She really was in Gryffindor.

"Good morning, Miss Titus. Glad to see you finally awake."

Artemis looked around quickly, her shoulder length blonde hair whipping around. A young woman, the head nurse, briskly approached her bed, potion in hand.

"You really gave us quite a scare, fainting like that. Nearly cracked your skull on the stone floor, I swear, this hasn't happened in years."

The woman spoke quickly, ignoring the look on Artemis' face. 'I wish it had cracked...maybe then I could just go home...' she thought to herself, as the woman poured some of the potion out.

"I'm Madame Pomfrey," the nurse introduced herself when Artemis failed to speak up. "Now, dear, I need you to take this potion before you head up to breakfast. It's just to get rid of the headache I'm sure you have right now."

"Understatement of the century," Artemis muttered quietly enough so Pomfrey didn't hear her. Gently taking the goblet offered, Artemis downed the potion in one gulp. She regretted it instantly. The potion tasted of cabbage mixed with pepper, which was not a combination she favored. It left an odd taste in her mouth. Regardless, her pounding head slowed down in an instant, and finally ceased to throb. Now, if only she could slow down her heart.

"Alright dear, you may get dressed, and head down to breakfast. You'll want to find Professor McGonagall who will have your schedule for the year. Congratulations on making it into Gryffindor, and I hope I don't see you in here for a long while."

Artemis pulled the pale blue curtains around her bed, and quickly changed into her robes, almost as if putting them on quickly would get rid of the shame she felt in the pit of her stomach. As soon as she made it out of the Hospital Wing, she found her brother waiting.

"Artemis, you're alright. The hag wouldn't let me in to see you at all last night," Apollo said, quickly hugging his sister. Artemis relaxed in her brother's arms. Even if she was a Gryffindor, Apollo would always be there for her.

"Apollo, what am I going to do? What will Mother and Father say when they find out?" Artemis said in a hushed voice to her brother as he led her down the halls. She attempted to memorize where they were going, making note of specific pieces of artwork that lined the walls. The portraits were all smiling down on the students that passed by, some sharing a "Good day!" and "Welcome to Hogwarts!" She was shocked when the staircase they were currently descending suddenly switched positions. Artemis realized that she didn't even know how to get to her common room.

"I won't lie, Tea," Apollo said, using Artemis' childhood nickname. "They won't be particularly pleased with your house. But honestly, they are our parents. They love you regardless of where you were sorted. This is just school, not the real world. All that matters is that you maintain the family ideals."

He had placed a comforting and warm arm around his sister as he marched her to the Great Hall for their first breakfast at school. Artemis was grateful for Apollo. The two of them were inseparable as children. Apollo always seemed to have more friends, what with the abundance of boys in pureblood wizarding families (to carry on the family name of course). His friends tended to pick on Artemis often, but when she wasn't standing up for herself, Apollo was always there.

As they walked through the doors, though, Apollo's arm left her shoulder. Slytherin table was at the far right of the Great Hall, followed by Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. This left Gryffindor table at the opposite side of the large dining hall. Artemis saw the look of apprehension on Apollo's face as he looked at his table. It was apparent that he had already made friends in his house, and they were waiting for him.

"Go," Artemis said, giving her brother a small smile to convince him. "I'll be alright."

"Are you--?"

"Apollo, go."

Apollo nodded, and made his way over to his table--what should have been Artemis' table. She sighed, and turned around just as Apollo's friends welcomed him. Gazing in at the Gryffindor table, Artemis suddenly became nervous. The older students were all bunched into their individual cliques. It was obvious where all the first years were, sitting together at the middle of the table. Artemis stood at the entrance to the Great Hall for a good three minutes trying to decide what she would do. Should she accept her fate, and attempt to befriend her fellow house-mates? Or should she shun them, and not risk causing more shame to the family? Would her family approve of these Gryffindors?

Before she could make a decision of her own, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. At first she thought it was Apollo again, coming to invite her to the Slytherin table to eat. She turned her head, ready to accept, when she found herself staring into a pair of gray, bright eyes. A mop of dark hair surrounded his face, along with a large grin. Sirius Black.

"Morning, darling. Missed you last night at dinner, what with your incident. Welcome to Gryffindor, fellow family rebel!" he said with a jovial voice, slowly moving her towards Gryffindor house. Another arm wrapped around her shoulders from the other side. More black hair, although Artemis found herself looking at a pair of warm brown eyes through glasses. She knew this boy as James Potter. The Potter always had a New Years Ball at their large estate, and the Titus family was always invited. When Artemis and Apollo were younger they attended, but as they got older, they chose not to go. Apollo and James did not get along, and Artemis did whatever Apollo did.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, malady!" James nearly shouted, as the two boys led her to the middle of the table to be surrounded by fellow first years. They sat her down across from other girls, and each sat on either side of her. "I'm James Potter, and this lovely gentleman beside you is..."

"Sirius Black," Artemis said, cutting James off. Her voice was strong and slightly cold. She used this voice when she was unsure of herself, and needed to hide it. "I know who you both are. Our families have known one another for years, more so the Blacks than the Potters, though."

"Okay then," James said, noting her tone and removing his arm. James remembered Artemis from the few times she had attended the Potter New Years ball with her family. The girl had always kept to herself, or followed around her twin brother. He remembered liking her, but thinking her brother was a jerk. He hadn't expected her to be cold towards him. Sirius stayed put though. "Anyway, did you spend the night in the hospital wing? Lily said you never came to your dormitory."

"Who's Lily?" Artemis asked, dropping some of her icy tone. Perhaps she should befriend these people. She didn't want to be alone at Gryffindor.

"I am," replied the girl sitting directly across from her. The girl had long auburn hair, and a beautiful pair of green eyes. She sat straight, and her tie was tied absolutely perfect, her uniform pressed and pristine. Even her breakfast was neat and tidy. Two slices of toast, an apple, and some pumpkin juice. This girl must be a perfectionist. She had such a warm smile on her face, causing Artemis to smile back without even realizing it. "Lily Evans," the girl continued. "Your bed is right next to mine in the dorm, but you never came up last night. All of us had our robes and such set out for us, but your bed and chair was empty when I woke up this morning."

"My things were in the hospital wing," Artemis replied, taking some pumpkin juice herself. "I guess I hit my head pretty hard when I fai--" she cut herself off. "Uhm...when I fell last night."

"Oh you fell? That makes more sense," Sirius said, chewing food as he spoke. "It would have been weird if you had fainted. Everyone thinks you did."

"Oh. Well. I didn't," Artemis replied quickly, sipping at her drink in hopes of changing the subject.

"Anyway, this is Emmeline, and Dorcas," Lily introduced the two girls sitting by her. Dorcas was a slightly pudgy girl with a plain color of brown head of hair. She wore small glasses with large lenses that made her eyes look much larger than the actually were. She gave a small smile, as though she wasn't used to attention. Emmeline on the other hand had dirty blonde hair cut to her chin. She wore a pretty red bow in her hair, and smiled widely.

"First years, first years, please bring your attention here," called a rapt voice from the end of the table. Professor McGonagall stood in her dark green robes, a sharp and jet black feather witches hat perched atop her head. "I have your schedules here. Please note your classes for today, and learn your way around the castle this week. I will not tolerate lateness to my class because you could not find your way around. Thank you."

She flicked her wand, and the stack of papers she was carrying floated to the middle of the table, and distributed amongst the group. Artemis caught her schedule and set it down, noticing a small, mousy looking boy sit next to James. He had squinty looking eyes, and immediately reached for a ham and cheese sandwich without introduction. She heard James greet him, "Hullo Peter." right before the post began to arrive.

Looking up, all of the first years marveled at the multitude of post owls bringing the students their mail. Forgotten possessions, last minute reminders from mom, newspapers, and other notes came soaring in attached to a variety of owls types. The Titus family owl, Hermes, came through and went first to Slytherin table, leaving a small letter to Apollo, probably a congratulations on getting into Slytherin. Artemis watched as the owl soared back across the hall, and to her. However, the moment it settled before her, she wished she was anywhere but in the Great Hall.

Attached to the owl's outstretched leg was a red envelope, one that was beginning to sizzle at the corners. Artemis was afraid of her parents' reaction to her being sorted into Gryffindor, but she had not expected this; a Howler.

"Well, open it! Quick, before it sets fire!" Sirius said, shoving it into her hand, and allowing her family owl to soar off. Artemis wished she could go with it.

"I don't understand," Lily said, with a confused look on her face. "What's wrong with it?" She must be a Muggle-born to not be familiar with Howlers. Artemis wasn't sure how to feel about it. She had never been cordial with Muggle-borns. Then again, she had never really had a full conversation with one. Her parents made sure that she was brought up surrounded by equal blood status children, or at the very least half-bloods.

"You'll see soon enough," James said, placing his fingers in his ears.

Gathering her strength, Artemis reached for the opening of the letter. She would open it, and take whatever it said. She was a strong individual. She could take this. Or at least, that's what she was chanting in her head.

She peeled back the letter flap, and the Howler shot up.

"ARTEMIS OPHELIA TITUS!" cried the shrill voice of her mother, Vivienne Titus. Artemis could just imagine her mother in her silk robes, storming through their manor in a wave of a fury. "HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE THE TITUS FAMILY IN SUCH A WAY?! YOU OF ALL CHILDREN SHOULD KNOW YOUR PLACE, AND IT LIES IN THE SLYTHERIN HOUSE, AS IT DID WITH YOUR FATHER AND I, AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE TITUS FAMILY!"

Artemis kept her composure, looking at a nondescript spot of the breakfast table where jam had fallen. She hoped that her mother would be frank with this. She really wasn't sure how to take it, nor was she enjoying the public humiliation that this was causing.

"YOUR FATHER ALMOST DIED OF SHAME! WE EXPECTED FAR GREATER THINGS FROM YOU, AND THIS IS HOW YOU CHOOSE TO GO? TO THE FILTH AND BILE THAT IS GRYFFINDOR HOUSE? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU? ABOUT OUR FAMILY?!"

Artemis really hadn't. Was her being in Gryffindor truly such a disgrace? Yes, at first she had been worried about her fate, but like Apollo said, it was just school. It was just a place to sleep, and people to go to class with. What mattered was who she was in the real world. And that was a Titus, not a Gryffindor.

"THE SORTING HAT OBVIOUSLY SAW THAT YOU WERE NOT SUITED FOR THE GREAT HONOR THAT IS BEING A SLYTHERIN. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF, YOU FOOLISH LITTLE GIRL! YOU HAD BETTER MAKE THE BEST OF THIS SITUATION! DO NOT GET INVOLVED WITH THE MUDBLOODS AND BLOOD TRAITORS OF YOUR HOUSE, OR ELSE YOUR FATHER WILL HAVE TO STEP IN!"

Artemis knew what that meant. Father stepping in was not a firm conversation on right and wrong. Father didn't discipline with words, he disciplined with an iron first--or more appropriately, his fist. Artemis had only been on her father's foul side once or twice in her eleven years, and she was not looking forward to facing it again. Her father was a great man, but Artemis had always been a bit afraid of him.

"IF I HEAR ANY WORD THAT YOU HAVE CAUSED THIS FAMILY ANY MORE SHAME AND DISGRACE THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE, I SWEAR ARTEMIS, YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM OUR FAMILY TREE, AND FREE TO WANDER ABOUT WITH THE VAGRANTS THAT YOU NOW RESIDE WITH. DO NO DISAPPOINT US EVER AGAIN!"

And like that, the Howler burst into flames, the ashes simply falling onto Artemis' unfinished plate of breakfast.

The Great Hall was silent. Howlers were obviously rare occurances, and especially in this situation. Yes, the room was perfectly silent, to the point where Artemis forgot where she was. She just sat, staring at the nondescript spot of jam and pondered what this meant. Every eye was on her, students and teachers a like. A low whistle came from James at her right, but Artemis didn't process it. She wasn't paying attention to what was happening around her, only hearing her mothers words still screaming in her head. She hadn't even realized that she was crying.

"Artemis, are you alright?" Lily asked softly, reaching a hand across the table to touch hers lightly. It was like a shock ran through her, breaking her from her trance. Artemis wretched her hand away from Lily as if she had been touched a diseased thing.

"Don't worry about it, love, my mummy dearest sent me one last night as well, but it was sent to the dorm," Sirius said, putting his arm around her. "They say this and that, but really, it doesn't matter what they think."

"Get off of me!" Artemis shouted suddenly, pushing Sirius' arm off and away from her. Fury and pain had filled her. She was not going to be able to hold herself back. "Doesn't matter?! Of course it matters! Don't you understand what I've done to my family? What you've done?! Gryffindors! We're disgusting! I don't want to mingle with muggle-born scum, and blood traitors!"

"Hey, you leave Muggle-borns alone!" James piped up, though not as loud as Artemis. "Lily is Muggle-born, and she's been nothing but kind to you."

"Yeah, well she can stuff it. I don't need her to be nice to me!" Artemis spit back, glaring daggers at James and Lily alike. "I don't need any of you to be nice to me! You're all filth! I don't need any of you!"

She promptly stood and swirled around, prepared to march right out of the Great Hall. Instead, she ran smack dab into another body, knocking her down. The Great Hall, completely silent other than the small argument, now burst into uproarious laughter. Artemis took a deep breath, and prepared to stand, when she saw a hand fall into her blurred line of vision. She looked up.

The person she ran into was another Gryffindor boy. This one she did not know the name of, but she had seen him being sorted the night before. He was slightly taller than the other first years, and was incredibly skinny. His robes were a shade lighter than everyone's, giving them a worn out appearance. Artemis found herself gazing into large amber eyes that instantly warmed her, as if they were melting a thick sheet of ice. Sandy blonde hair topped his head and fell into his eyes. His hand was presented in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you," he said with a soft-spoken voice. Artemis gazed in silence, as the room around her continued to explode with laughter at her folly. She was focused on the boy though. "I'm Remus, Remus Lupin."

She reached up and took his hand, but before he could pull her up, she came back to her senses. Laughter. They were laughing, at her. Anger filled Artemis again, and she yanked her hand out of Remus'. Standing up, she gave one last look at the confused boy with sandy hair, and ran out of the Great Hall, tears falling from her eyes.

____

Artemis' first year went by at a torturous rate, far slower than she would have liked. The first weeks of the school year, her fellow Gryffindors attempted to reconcile, and make friends with her, but Artemis would have none of it. She would listen to her mother, and refuse to mingle with the others due to their diluted blood status. Artemis didn't need friends, all she needed was her family, and by ignoring her classmates, she would surely prove to her parents that she would not be a disgrace, or a mistake. She would continue to be the shining daughter that they had always spoken so highly of to their social acquaintances. Artemis Titus might not be the top of her school, but she would always remain on top in her family's books.

And so, slowly, the Gryffindors stopped trying to befriend her. Some of them had never really tried (James completely gave up the second Artemis had made the comment about Lily that first breakfast, and some like Peter Pettigrew had just never spoken to her and didn't care to try)), and some had never left her alone for a moment (Lily always seemed to try every morning to invite her to breakfast, and every night to invite her to dinner. Similarly, Sirius Black seemed to be on a mission to make her follow in his footsteps and renounce her family). Artemis would resist. She watched as the year progressed that the girls in her dormitory had formed a tight-knit group. Before she went to bed, she would always hear them giggling to one another, talking about this or that before sleeping. Similarly, the first year boys of Gryffindor house had become more than a tight-knit group. They were a flat out gang.

Or so it seemed. Two months into school, a nickname had begun to circulate the corridors: The Marauders. James Potter, Sirius Black, the boy with the sandy hair, Remus Lupin, and the mousy looking boy Peter Pettigrew. They were only first years, but everyone had heard of that prank they pulled on Severus Snape the other week, or the thing one of them said in Transfiguration. By Christmas Break, they had already gained a number of detentions amongst the group, Remus with only one or two. James and Sirius seemed to be the leaders of this pack, and were always at one another's sides. They were boisterous, and charming. Remus was more of the silent type, seen at the first two boys' sides, books in hand. He was calm, but seemed to have his mischievous side as well. Finally, was the squat Peter Pettigrew. No one really knew why the other boys seemed to get along with Peter; he always followed the others around like a pet. But they were friends with him, and that's all that mattered.

Artemis found that if she was to live a school life without friends, she would have to completely immerse herself in other things, such as her school work. Artemis was easily found in a corner of the library, surrounded by spell books, always scrawling on her parchment. She would always bring a book to dinner to keep herself occupied, and although she didn't speak up in class often, she would stay after class to constantly inquire from her professors. Yes, she would have to be one of Hogwarts' top students. Perhaps that would make up for her disgraceful house choice in her family's eyes.

Artemis found that she excelled incredibly in Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy. She was surprised at a lot of the things they learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Many hexes and spells regarded as dark magic she had heard used in her own home by her parents, or their social circle of friends. It made Artemis feel somewhat guilty, and confused. She had never regarded her family as dark. They were just her family, and that's all she knew. They brought her into this world, and raised her. Surely they had reason to be using dark magic...

She also found herself doing well in her Potions class, but she fell behind that Lily Evans, and the bane of the Marauders' existence, a young first year Slytherin, Severus Snape. The poor boy seemed to have no friends other than Lily herself, who could be found walking along the halls with him, and talking to him before dinner. It surprised Artemis to see Lily so willing to cross house lines and befriend a boy that not many would. It seemed that a good bunch of the Slytherins hadn't even befriended him. When asked, Apollo said that he was just a loner, and didn't like talking much.

Regardless, Artemis found that there was some comfort in her studies. She loved to read, and many times found herself in the literature section of the library. She had been purposely rude to her fellow Gryffindors for the first few months in order to make them leave her alone. After all, if she was cruel to them, they'd leave her be, and she would be following her mother's instructions. A few times, she thought about listening to Black, and just throwing her family loyalty out the door, but at this point in the year, they just gave up on approaching her. They figured if Titus didn't want anything to do with them, then they wouldn't want anything to do with Titus. It became a game or ignoring. No one talked to her, and she didn't talk to anyone, other than Apollo, and her professors. She was fine with this. Sometimes she secretly thought about what it would have been like if she had been like Sirius and just accepted herself as a Gryffindor. What it would be like to giggle with Lily and the other girls. What it would be like to eat dinner with and talk to someone other than Apollo. But, at the end of the day, she was better off without them. Her family's approval meant everything to her, and she would not throw that away for a few people in school.

She wrote to her family frequently to tell them of her scholarly acheivements, but their replies always seemed short and stale, as though they were in a rush. They had simply informed Apollo and Artemis that they would be in Switzerland for the Christmas holidays, and they were to remain at Hogwarts for the break. Artemis really thought nothing of it. She knew that when the year was up, and she could return home, things would go back to normal.

So, as Artemis' longest year of her life came to a close, and Artemis boarded the Hogwarts Express after her first lonely year, she thought about her summer. She had aced every exam she had taken accept for Herbology (really, who cares about plants?), and Professor Slughorn had heard from Professor McGonagall how talented she was in Transfiguration, and offered for her to join his club of preferred students. Slughorn was head of Slytherin house, so it would surely please her parents to hear that she was acknowledged. Yes, going home would surely be just the break she needed from her solitude at Hogwarts. Maybe her parents would even approve of her speaking to some of the other Gryffindors. They had always liked the Black family, so surely they would allow her to befriend Sirius Black, right?

The train ride home was long and quiet as Artemis sat in Apollo's compartment with his Slytherin friends. She knew that none of them liked her, and detested that she had to sit with them, but Apollo insisted. He had been her support system this entire year, and she was so grateful to him. So, as the train came to a stop at King's Cross, and the many students of Hogwarts stepped off to meet their families, Artemis was filled with a bought of happiness. This would be a wonderful summer.


	3. The Mute is Born

Unfortunately for Artemis, that summer was not at all how she had imagined it would be on the ride home from Hogwarts. Her family had greeted her and Apollo warmly in the public eye at King's Cross Station. They had seemed so pleased to see them. For Apollo, they were. However, the moment they returned to their countryside manor, things were instantly different. Her mother, who had always been somewhat formal with her children, was simply cold towards Artemis. She didn't care to ask how her year had been, simply questioning Apollo about his experiences and friends. She would add little comments, like "Oh, darling I'm so thrilled you are friends with the Lestrange's son. That family is quite respected, we'll simply have to go and have tea..." or "Did you really? Oh, just like a true Slytherin." Apollo seemed unfazed by the attention. He went on to describe other students.

"And Mother, there's this ghastly pork of a girl in Gryffindor house, Dorcas something or other. I swear, when she walked by it was like the ground shook."

Their mother chuckled lightly, and looked fondly at her son. Artemis remained silent, but looked at her brother strangely. He had never even spoken to Dorcas. Yes, she was a little overweight, but what did that matter? She seemed like such a nice girl when Artemis heard her talking to the others at night in the dormitory. It was no matter, though. It wasn't like she and Dorcas were friends...

That first summer had set the tone for how Artemis' relationship with her family would be for years to come. It had started out with that cold indifference to her time at Hogwarts. The family rarely acknowledged that she had stories to tell. But soon, Artemis found that she was disagreeing with her family more and more. It was like when she learned about which spells were considered dark, and which weren't. She had been surprised to see that her parents were known to practice dark magic; she had never considered her family to be dark wizards. But, she realized over the course of that first summer back that her family wasn't respected because they were, well, respectable. They were respected because they were feared by others in the wizarding community.

She had been brought up surrounded by this certain type of wizarding family, therefore, she never saw the major flaw sitting before her. It became apparent that her family was beyond prejudiced. They used blood slurs, and spoke of wizarding families that were considered beneath them. Apollo had gone on to describe Lily, going as far as to say that she must have stolen some magic from a "respectable" wizard or witch, because there was no way a Mudblood could be as naturally intelligent as she was. Artemis was so confused.

She had always stuck by her family, but she realized it was because she knew no better. She never knew what her family was really like until they began to ostracize her. They had shunned her the entire summer, often leaving her alone, and not responding when she spoke to them. She was so suddenly aware of her family and the life that she had been leading. She had spent an entire year by herself in order to impress a group of people that wanted nothing to do with her. And for what reason? Because a magical hat put her in a different house? This was outrageous! This was wrong! She was a member of the family, and they would learn to damn well acknowledge that! If all they saw in her was a Gryffindor, then she would have to start showing off that Gryffindor bravery.

So, one night in the middle of the summer, she walked right into the family parlor, where her father sat smoking a cigar, and her mother sat reading the Evening Prophet. Her mother looked up expectantly, but her father kept his gaze on the fire, as if she hadn't even walked in.

"What is it?" her mother asked in a cold drawl, as if this was a major interruption. Artemis took a deep intake of breath.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mother, Father," she began simply, "But I simply cannot sit here and have you both treat me like this. I am your daughter, Artemis Titus. And I am in Gryffindor house."

At this, her father raised his head, a bored expression on his face. His eyes, although light blue, looked dark and cold, like a stone. Her mother's lips simply pursed. They were already displeased with the content of her speech.

"I realize that this upsets you, but I have worked vigorously this year in order to impress you both," Artemis continued. "I have treated my fellow housemates like they were less than dogs, and I have been alone every day. I can not do this any longer! I'm your daughter, not a mouse that you may scoot under the rug!"

Artemis had always held a certain calm about herself when speaking formally to her family. She was not usually one to speak up against something, but when she had in the past, her voice was always strong, and never wavered. While her backbone remained intact in this situation, she felt herself wavering as she stared into her parents' eyes. She had been hoping to see some form of a reaction from them. Instead, she was gazing into the same cold stares that she had all summer.

Her voice trembled just the slighted as she asked quietly, "Does the house I reside in really affect your judgment of me so? Do you really shun me for a choice that was not even mine to make?"

At this, her father stood. Odysseus Titus stood well above six foot, with broad shoulders, hidden under rich and lavish robes. His long, dark hair was elegantly pulled back and fell perfectly down his back. Not a hair out of place, not a speck of dust on anything he owned. He was a towering man, not only in height, but in personality. His voice was deep, and booming, and enough to send goose bumps through Artemis at the mere mention of her name.

Now, he stood before his only daughter, shadowing her easily.

"Young lady, do not for one moment fool yourself into thinking that the house in which you have fallen into is not your choice," he told her, his voice dangerously low. Still, he knew he could hear every word. "The Sorting Hat, enchanted as it may be, does not decide on which house you are to be sorted into merely on basic characteristics. All those who are overly intelligent do not only lie in Ravenclaw, and all those who are cunning and ambitious do not only lie in the great house of Slytherin. Of course, these things are taken into account. The hat's magic involves looking into the very soul and mind of the student, and selecting their personal beliefs and traits in order to choose a house. Therefore, it is actually the student itself choosing their home; the hat merely seeks out these qualities."

Odysseus had begun circling his daughter, pacing as he spoke. She took idly, staring at her mother as he spoke, listening intently at his words. His explanation had begun to make her heart speed up. Was her father speaking the truth? Had the Sorting Hat delved into her soul, and found her true feelings? Did it see her as this person, completely different than the rest of her family?

"Either way, Father," Artemis said softly, looking up into his cold blue eyes with her own. "Does this really call for the total silent treatment? Whatever is apparently within me that makes me a Gryffindor, is it really enough to completely spurn your own child?"

"Yes, you foolish girl!" her father suddenly roared, walking straight up to her. "A student of Gryffindor house upholds none of this family's beliefs! You obviously do not feel the way that a true Titus should! We are an honorable family, and pure family! We stand against those that tarnish wizarding blood, not stand beside them!"

"It is only a house, Father!" Artemis spoke up, raising her voice. She would not be quiet on this account. "Merely a group of people to live with, and take classes with! And to be perfectly honest, the people I have spent an entire year ignoring, and shunning, as you are doing to me now, were nothing but kind when they met me! I was nothing by cruel to them all year, in order to stay true to our family! Even when they were willing to welcome me with open arms, like they did with Sirius Black!"

"Oh, do not speak of that boy!" her mother suddenly objected. "That boy has been nothing but trouble to the poor Black family. A foul mark on their good name."

"Rubbish!" Artemis insisted. "He's a sweet boy! Everyone in Gryffindor is! That girl Dorcas, the one Apollo was speaking about the other day. She's shy, but kind. She's never said a word against another person. And Lily! Yes, she's a Muggle-born, but she is so naturally intelligent, and courageous! She speaks her mind! And James Potter, as well! He's exceptionally talented, and funny! They say he'll be on the Quidditch team next year, only a second year! And, and Remus Lupin! He's so calm, and courteous to everyone he's spoken to. He offered to help me up right after watching me curse the names of all of his friends! And…"

Artemis was cut off as her father's hand smacked her small face, thrusting her down and away from his sight. She fell to the ground by the force, her head throbbing in pain. Her eyes watered merely as a reaction to the pain, as she looked up. She was not surprised at what she saw. Her father's face had remained calm, but his eyes lit with a fierce anger. This was the side of her father she hated seeing the most.

"You know far better than to speak out in such a way, Artemis!" he said, removing his outer robes, and beginning to roll of his sleeves. Artemis closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She was going to be punished for how she had spoken. "Those rats of children are all Mudbloods or blood traitors! Do you really wish to stick up for them?"

"They are good people!" Artemis objected, finding courage in the face of danger that she didn't realize she had in her. She knew what was coming, but she refused to crumble. She knew what she believed now. The Gryffindors, as she said, were good people. They didn't care about blood, or race. They cared about being themselves, and being kind to others. (Well, for the most part—the Marauders were known to prank Slytherins…) She had grown up believing what her parents had taught her, but now, as she lay on the rich carpeted floor of her family's manor, she them for who they truly were. The Titus family was cruel in their prejudiced beliefs. They were dark wizards, with no concept of kindheartedness. They were simply, mindlessly cruel people.

And she wanted no part in it.

"You will speak of such things no more!" her father bellowed, now with his leather belt in hand. Swinging his arm behind him, he stroked her back in one swift motion. Her clothing softened the blow, but Artemis still felt intense pain. Her father continued the barrage, as her mother lazily watching from her plush chair. "You may be a smudge on this family's name, but you will learn to respect us regardless of your foolish ideals, child!"

Another slap with the belt, as Artemis seethed silently. She would stay silent, and not speak her mind to her family again, but she would never respect them.

As Artemis' first summer home as a Gryffindor came to a close, she realized that she become a new person simply overnight. The confrontation with her parents had awakened a side of her that she never realized she had. She was brave, and strong despite the adversity she had faced with her father. And in spite of the brainwashing she had received as a child, she now knew how she felt about the world. She would not be a dark wizard, and follow in her family's footsteps. She would be a good person. She would be the kind of person that proudly says, "I am a Gryffindor!"

Her family had dropped her and her brother off at King's Cross on September 1st, as scheduled. Apollo had been forced to separate himself from his sister under his parent's eyes, but had reassured her that he still loved her, no matter what. He had admitted that he didn't understand why she was choosing to act out against the family for such a foolish cause, but Artemis was willing to take his small acceptance. Even if her brother didn't agree with her new found beliefs, he was her twin, her closest, albeit only, friend. He may not understand, but for now, Artemis needed him.

Boarding the Hogwarts Express, Artemis found looked for a cabin for herself. Gazing in through the windows, she found only groups of people, friends, and housemates, all together with one another. She had no one but Apollo. As she settled to sit with him and his friends again, Artemis hatched another plan for the year in her mind. This year, the goal was not to completely dominate Hogwarts, as she had thought on her first trip to the castle just one year ago. No, she had burned far too many bridges.

Her goal for the year would be to make amends with her fellow Gryffindors. She would plan out a thoughtful apology to each and every person she had spoken to cruelly, and hope that they would forgive her. After all, they were nice people. They would understand her situation when she explained it to them, she hoped. She couldn't think about what would happen if they didn't. She wasn't sure how she could handle another year of silence.

It didn't take her long to find out. At the Great Hall, she had sat down in between a fourth year student she did not know, and Emmeline Vance in hopes of melding into the group of second years mildly unnoticed. Emmeline had given her an unusual glance, but otherwise ignored her presence. The other second years piled in, all giving her strange looks as they noticed her close proximity. She had even given a small hello to Lily, who had sat across from her, but Lily didn't respond. Artemis began eating nervously.

She received the cold shoulder the whole night, her only real interaction being when she asked Remus Lupin if he could pass her some chocolate pudding. He looked at her with a peculiar expression, but obliged none the less. She had given him a small smile as thanks, but James had caught his attention, and he looked away before seeing it. The night went by quickly, and Artemis felt her new found bravery slowly slipping away. Her housemates at enjoyed the evening back, and had disregarded her being there for the most part. Artemis feared that she would be unable to atone.

As the Gryffindors filed into their common room, and settled either in their dorms or around the fire, Artemis found herself unsure of what to do, or who to go to first. She thought perhaps Lily might be a good start. After all, she had insulted Lily the most, calling her foul for being Muggle-born. She was surrounded by other girls though, including some older Gryffindors that Artemis didn't know, or have a need to talk to. No, maybe Lily wouldn't be the best choice.

Then, Artemis considered Sirius Black. She looked over to see the Marauders all seated in the plush cushioned chairs by the fire, laughing over something James at said. Yes, Artemis thought. Sirius would be a logical first step. He, after all, had been the most adamant for her to reject her family and join them the previous year. He also understood the pressures of a large wizarding family. Her mind made up, Artemis approached the boys. As she stopped in front of them, Remus was the first to stop laughing and notice her presence. He merely looked at her, neither with a scowl, or with a welcoming expression. He just stared at her, as if he had no opinion of her at all. Artemis felt her hand shaking out of nervousness as she was drawn in by his amber eyes. They were consuming her. She shifted her eyes to the back of Sirius' head to escape those orbs. One by one, the other boys noticed her, finally with Peter stating the obvious, "Titus is right behind you, Sirius."

Sirius and James had frowns on their faces as they turned to face her. Artemis' speech in her mind of how she was so sorry vanished as she felt their glares on her. She could do this, she just had to calm down. She could do this.

"What do you want, Titus?" James sniped, leaning back in his chair, and messing up his already messed up black hair. "Come to start spewing your usual crap again?"

"No, I—"

"Listen," Sirius said, standing up and facing her. He had grown already, for a boy of only twelve, and slightly towered over her. Artemis felt her courage completely run out, and felt her hands shake a bit harder. "I have had it with you, got it? I dunno what the Sorting Hat was playing at putting you here, cause you have been nothing but a bitch to us! We tried to accept you and be nice, and I get that your family is important to you. So just shove off. We don't want to hear how much you want to be a Death Eater, and follow in your daddy's footsteps, got it? I've gotten an earful from my folks this summer; I don't need to hear you like last year. Sod off, Titus."

Artemis didn't need to be told again. She ran off and up to her dormitory, not sure why tears were welling up in her eyes.

Sirius sat back down, and brushed off his robes like there was dust on them when they were obviously new.

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Remus asked quietly, as Sirius resettled himself.

"I don't think it was," James answered for Sirius, leaning back into his seat. The glare was still on his face. "I don't know what she wanted, but I don't forget how she acted last term. Especially for the things she said to Lily."

"We gave her a change, mate," Sirius said, loosening his tie, and slouching. "Simple as that. I know that girl and her family; we don't want to get involved with her. And she made it perfectly clear last year that she wanted nothing to do with us."

"She was quiet the entire second half of the year," Peter piped up, staring into the fire absentmindedly.

"Yes, Peter," James sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up in the process. "But that doesn't change how she acted the first bit of term. She's a cold-hearted bitch. No other way to put it."

"Yeah, and I doubt this year will be any different," Sirius added, before yawning loudly. "You mates ready to head up to bed? I want to get my beauty sleep for McGonagall tomorrow. You know Minerva loves to stare at me in class."

"Yeah, more like glare at you…"

The four boys climbed the stairs to their dorm, thoughts of Artemis Titus drifting away. Remus took a small glance at the girl's dormitory, and simply wondered what she had planned to say when she approached them earlier. He shook it off though, and went with the others to bed.

In the second year girl's dorm room, Artemis found herself unsure of what to do. Her plan had completely blown up in her face just before in the common room with the boys. She doubted now that the girls would be any different. She glanced around her bed curtains to see Lily brushing out her hair, and Emmeline and Dorcas sitting on one of the girl's beds. Emmeline had just finished telling the others about her summer in America, and a silence had fallen around them for a moment. Emmeline had described a place called Disney World, where there were Muggle contraptions that could be ridden on, and based on Muggle fairytales. It sounded very unusual, but Artemis was interested, and had listened in one the story, her eyes just barely peeking out behind the red hangings.

Just then though, Dorcas noticed her, and motioned in her direction. Lily and Emmeline collectively turned and noticed Artemis, whose eyes widened. Emmeline rolled her eyes and turned away, where Lily plainly scowled.

"What are you looking at, Titus?" she called, causing Artemis to instantly retract back and away from view. Even though she couldn't see the other girls anymore, she could still hear them. "What's her problem?"

"I dunno," Emmeline's voice sounded softly. "Probably wanted to curse me for going somewhere with so many Muggles. She's such a bitch…"

"She was very rude to everyone," Dorcas piped in, also in whispered tones. Artemis felt her inner strength shrivel. Even Dorcas hated her. "We never even did anything to her."

"Just ignore her," Lily said confidently, and that was that. They went on to discuss their upcoming classes, and eventually fell silent as they one by one went to sleep. Artemis laid awake however, soundlessly crying. These bridges were burnt, and there was no way for her to fix it. She had completely destroyed any chance of having her fellow Gryffindors accept her. They wanted nothing to do with her, and it was entirely her fault. She knew this. As she lay there she had never felt more alone in the world.

Years passed, but nothing changed. Second, third, fourth, and fifth year came and went by in complete silence for Artemis. She got up every morning, either felt glares, or a cold shoulder, and went to class. She continued to eat alone, and study hard. As the years passed, Artemis found herself pulling inward. She had almost stopped talking completely. Her brother's incapability to understand had caused a large rift in their relationship that Artemis hadn't expected. She had always assumed he would be by her side no matter what, but the summer after fourth year, it became clear that he took was ashamed of his sister.

Artemis had become an incredibly open-minded person. She was against blood prejudices, and not just between her species. She believed in half-breed rights, as well as goblin rights. She would be against the use of house elves if she didn't know how much the house elves actually loved to work. She had strong points of view, and felt herself come into her own when it came to what had been previously expected of her. She was by no means on top of the school, popularity wise. She was definitely a forerunner for top grades in her class. She had gotten all O's on her O.W.L.s, and continued to sit at the top of every course she took, only taking a backseat to Lily Evans and Severus Snape in Potions.

She had been a member of Slughorn's little club, but in third year she realized how truly awful the concept of him collecting valuable students was, and stopped attending the get togethers. She had considered joining Charms Club, but she wasn't particularly friendly with any of the other members. In fact, she wasn't particularly friendly with anyone at Hogwarts. It was usually Hufflepuffs who allowed her to join a group in Herbology, and in Gryffindor, Dorcas would begrudgingly agree to work with her during Transfiguration and Potions when needed. The two girls never spoke other than for what was necessary for the class. Dorcas would simply avoid eye contact through the majority of the class, and get up as soon as it was announced that class was over. It was the same with everyone else.

The truth was, everyone had an idea of who Artemis Titus was, based solely on their experience with her in first year. She was a Slytherin, who somehow ended up in Gryffindor house. She was a cold-hearted, close-minded witch with no compassion. She was always so quiet because she felt like she was better than everyone else. That she secretly spoke to snakes in her spare time. She had been blamed when that Muggleborn girl in Ravenclaw, Mipsy Bottomsworth woke up with no hair one morning. She was an evil girl, and she should be ignored.

Even the Marauders ignored her. Usually when one annoyed or angered a Marauder, they received payback in the form of pranks. Sometimes the pranks were harmless, and in some cases, like with that poor Severus Snape boy the previous year in the courtyard, they were in fact cruel. No one seemed to mind that the Golden boys of Gryffindor were publicly prejudiced themselves, when it came to Slytherins. But they had never attacked Artemis. She was just cast aside. Their punishment was the same as every other person's: the silent treatment.

Now as Artemis sat down in an empty compartment of the Hogwarts Express on her way to begin her sixth year of education, she felt utterly and blatantly alone. She had grown physically. Her hair was now absurdly long, reaching down to her hips. It was the same light blonde color it had always been, but her eyes were no longer cold like ice. They were constantly sad. She was a skinny girl, with a pointed face, and small ears. Her hair lay down her back, a few strands framing her face. She hadn't cut it in years.

Her physical features and the strength of her beliefs may have grown, but there were many things about Artemis that were small, and weak. The constant silence she had adopted over the years had caused her to become grossly insecure about herself. She never felt that she was good enough, which in turn caused her to try harder constantly. Her parents never quite excused her behavior and change of heart. She had found herself coming to the Hospital Wing many times throughout the years because she never ate enough. She honestly had stopped going to the Great Hall that often. It was too difficult for her to eat with so many people around her, but none acknowledging that she existed.

Artemis Titus was simply a lone girl in a school of hundreds. She had become a shell of a person, living through books and her work, but being shunned by those around her. She had become a mute, misunderstood over time, and never given a chance to redeem herself. This year, she felt, would be just like the rest. So, as she sat in her empty compartment waiting for the train to leave, she felt her eyelids fall over she sad, and unequivocally lonely eyes. She slept silently, unaware of just how much her life would change.


	4. Eyes, and Falls

Artemis found herself lurch forward as the Hogwarts Express came to a full and complete stop. Her eyes still closed, she steadied herself in her seat, unwilling to open her eyes just yet. Around her, she felt people rising from seats. Someone had been in the compartment sitting with her. Knowing that she would need to leave eventually, she decided to open her eyelids and see who had could have possibly gotten on the train so late to have been forced to sit in her company.

The dim lighting of the cabin found her blue eyes, as she watched small legs scurry out of the cabin. She should have figured. First years. They were too ignorant to know their mistake. No matter. Artemis found herself more occupied with the fact that she had slept the entire way to the Hogsmeade station, and had never changed into her robes. She quickly ambushed her trunk, and pulled out her school clothes, closing the compartment door and window shades. She stripped rapidly, and pulled on her white button up shirt and black stockings.

This summer had been a rough one for her, but not the worst. Her parents were away in Spain, and Apollo had taken the time to invite all of his mates over. While Artemis was ignored by Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws, one group of people never forgot about her existence: Slytherins. They had made sure they found any waking moment to take the micky out on her. Apollo, once Artemis' savior, did nothing now to stop the ceaseless harassment. It had gotten to the point where two boys had broken into her bedroom and used some kind of spell that caused her walls to have a large message, saying "BLOOD TRAITOR" like spray paint. She had tried all summer, but it wouldn't come out without using magic, which Artemis couldn't do yet outside of school.

She, she chose to ignore these obstacles. While it stung that Apollo, her own twin, had given up on her, she would not break down because of a group of low-lives like the Slytherins. She couldn't afford to let them see how they affected her.

The one up side to the summer before her sixth year was that she had no fresh battle wounds. Father wasn't there, therefore, Father did not punish her. Her first summers back, Artemis tended to talk back to him with little regard. At this point in her life, however, she had stopped egging him on. He had still disciplined her the summer before fifth year. His reason was for not responding when he asked questions. Artemis felt that, if anything, this was worse than talking back. Odysseus Titus could not stand being ignored.

'Imagine him in my shoes now…' Artemis thought to herself, a small smile coming on her face in amusement. Fully clothed, she pushed open her compartment door and scampered to the carriages, led by the thestrals that she knew were there, but that she was incapable of seeing. There were only two left, and one of those two was already beginning to depart.

'Wait!' Artemis thought, but failed to say out loud. She rushed over to the final stationary carriage, and lunged inside. Success! And, the carriage was empty! She preferred to be alone rather than be ignor---

"Yes! We made it in time!" Artemis heard a jovial voice exclaim.

"Well, we would have gotten here earlier if you hadn't been cursed by LeAnn Meades for cheating on her this summer…" said another voice, a bit deeper, and smoother.

"Yeah, yeah, Moony. Let's just get in, shall we?"

Artemis groaned inwardly. She knew those voices, and that nickname.

"Oh bloody hell, she's here…" she heard a certain black haired boy mutter, before seating himself. Three more boys piled in. Just what she needed. Marauders.

Artemis glanced around at all of them with a blank expression on her face. Sirius, the one who had muttered, begrudgingly sat beside her, and James beside him. Peter sat closest to the door, and Remus sat in the seat directly across from Artemis. Artemis scooted over politely for Sirius and James to have more room, but when she looked to see if he had in fact shifted over, she saw Sirius sitting with his arms crossed and motionless. Artemis sighed inwardly. She merely turned her head to look at the other boys. James was equally stiff, but loosened up a bit when he began talking to Peter about Quidditch. It appeared he had made Captain this year. Artemis didn't find this shocking. She rarely went to Quidditch games anymore, but even she knew how great of a player James Potter was. He could definitely go professional after graduating.

Eventually Sirius got involved in the conversation, and Artemis turned her head away, glazing out the window. They were passing through a trail along the vast forest. In the moonlight, Artemis could see two deer running through the thicket of trees and bushes. She smiled serenely at the sight. She loved running through the forest too…

Artemis felt a pressure on her face, as if someone was looking at her. She gazed around the cabin. The three boys one the one side of the cabin were still deep in discussion, now reminiscing about the World Cup. That left one other person. Artemis swung her gaze directly in front of her, only to find amber eyes. Remus Lupin was staring at her. There was no other way to put it. It wasn't a side glance that was quickly shifted away, or a glare. He was just staring, with no expression on his face. Artemis felt her cheeks burn a bit, but she didn't know why. She just felt her eyes melting as the amber of his poured into her. His eyes seemed to be analyzing her, like she needed to be discovered, or explained.

Artemis physically shook her head, and brought her gaze down to stare at her feet. Why was he looking at her? Why wasn't he just ignoring her like the Marauders always did? He wasn't being mean or anything, but it had startled her. Artemis snuck another look up, to see Remus now looking out the window, and up at the sky. Artemis relaxed. Who cares if he was staring? It's not like he would actually talk to her…

The carriage ride soon came to an end. The boys seemed to scramble out of the carriage and head off. Artemis took a moment inside to just take a deep breath. It helped to collect herself at the beginning of every year. Finally ready to face the school, she stepped out of the carriage…

…and fell.

It had been raining, and Artemis hadn't even noticed. She had naturally hit the slickest of spots on the stone ground, and felt herself connect with it instantly. This time, Artemis groaned aloud. Her tailbone throbbing, Artemis' vision was going in and out. She had hit her head pretty hard, and her hair felt warm.

"I'm bleeding," she muttered quietly to herself as she felt the back of her head. Indeed, her hand was stained red. Artemis tried to push herself up, but the world had begun to spin. The sky was definitely not below her and the ground above her, right? She was so confused, and now her head was throbbing insanely.

She couldn't just lay here. There was no one to help, though. Her carriage had been the very last to arrive. Everyone had head up to the castle, and Hagrid had already taken the first years away to the lake, she could tell. She had to get to the castle. Artemis tried getting up again, but finally felt herself succumb to her injury.

"Help," she attempted to yell, but it came out as more of a moan.

The world faded to black, right as she felt two warm limbs wrap around her…

…she was fading back in, hearing voices.

"Can't we just leave her?"

"The girl is hurt!"

"But we're gonna miss the feast!"

"Honestly mate, we might not like her, but he's right."

Artemis groaned again as she felt her body shiver and ache. She was freezing due to the rain. She attempted to open her eyes and see who had found her, but decided that keeping them closed felt a lot better. She knew it was boys, even though she couldn't really make out who. Probably Hufflepuffs. They were always nice, even if they didn't particularly like you. Artemis kept her eyes closed, and took the time to enjoy someone actually trying to care for her. She couldn't stop shivering though, her robes completely soaked through. How long had she actually been lying out there?

"She's shaking, she must be cold," observed the voice directly above her. This was the boy carrying her. "Here, James, take her for a second."

James? As in…James Potter? Artemis felt herself being transferred from one set of arms to the next. James' arms were a bit warmer, most likely because she had soaked through the other boy who had been carrying her.

"What're doing, Moony?" James inquired.

Moony? But that's…

"I'm gonna wrap her in my cloak. She's freezing, Prongs," replied that calm voice. Remus Lupin had found her.

There was more shifting around, and then Artemis found herself being blanketed in warmth. This was so much better. She was still shaking, but the cloak had most definitely helped.

"Here, give her back to me now," Remus asked, and Artemis felt herself being transferred once more into his arms. She nuzzled a bit into the cloak, trying not to move too much to alert that boys that she was awake. No doubt, Black and Pettigrew were tagging along. Sirius was most likely the one objecting to bringing her…wherever they were taking her.

She found out soon enough.

"Good heavens! Term hasn't even started, and already you lot in here!" cried a familiar voice. Madame Pomfrey's voice was one that Artemis knew exceedingly well. She had been dragged into the hospital wing numerous times due to teacher observations that she was not eating enough. Over the years, Madame Pomfrey and Artemis had somewhat become friendly. She sometimes would spend her time in the hospital wing, just studying at the desk in the corner, occasionally helping the nurse with minor injuries. She would help make up potions at times.

Sometimes the students objected to her helping when it came to their injuries; they simply were convinced she was going to poison them. But those students aside, Madame Pomfrey had become a mentor to Artemis over the years. It had only been last year when Artemis had told her head of house, Professor McGonagall, that she intended to become a Healer after graduation. She definitely had the skill and the smarts for it. McGonagall had approved whole-heartedly.

Madame Pomfrey might have been much softer with her, but it was apparent that she was not fond of all frequent hospital wing visitors.

"What have you boys done this time?" she inquired shrilly. Artemis had to stop herself from chuckling lightly. "Who is it this time that you've hexed, or cursed into oblivion?!"

"Please, Madame Pomfrey," Remus said calmly, as was his usual. His voice was soothing. "We actually didn't do this. I found her when I doubled back to our carriage. She must have fallen, or something and she was bleeding…"

Artemis had been brought over to a bed, and felt Remus set her down lightly. She hadn't expected to miss his arms, but his cloak was still wrapped around her tightly. It smelled like the woods.

"Oh, Miss Titus…" the nurse suddenly said, seeing who was under the cloak. "Yes, well, you boys may leave now. I'm surprised she isn't more damaged having been in your presence. Then again, Mr. Lupin, you have always been a tad more responsible than the other boys."

"Poppy, you don't mean that!" cried Sirius, backing into a joking mood now that Artemis had been deposited.

"I most certainly do, Mr. Black! Now, all of you, out!" Madame Pomfrey cried, bustling around in the cabinets to make a potion. "Out, out, out!"

"Gladly…" muttered Black, and Artemis heard the retreating footsteps of the group. "Moony, come on!"

"You guys go ahead, I just want to make sure she's alright," replied Remus. Artemis was thoroughly befuddled. What was he doing? Why was he doing that?

"You have got to be kidding me," was the reply. Sirius was obviously not pleased with this response.

"Just go, Padfoot. I'll be down in a second," was the final reply from Remus. The others must have listened, because soon the hospital wing was silent, save for the nurse's hustling and bustling about, and the dragging of a chair close to the bed. Remus was beside her.

At this point, Artemis was far too curious. She had just been saved by Remus Lupin. That was a bit dramatic, but essentially, he had found her, and brought her here safely, when he didn't need to. He could have listened to Sirius and left her there, for someone else to deal with. He could have done anything but what he had done. And above all, he could have left just then. She was in good hands, nothing to worry about. So, what was Remus Lupin sitting beside her bed for?

Artemis opened her eyes. She had to. She couldn't lie there any longer and not look.

He was sitting at her right side, his sandy hair falling into his face. It was wet, and still dripping. He had created a bit of a puddle around himself already. She noticed though that he wasn't shivering from the cold; he seemed alright with his state of being. He was looking at the end of the bed for some reason, and had an interesting look on his face. He seemed to be contemplating something. His was leaning forward a bit, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together.

Artemis continued to stare at him questionably.

"Ah, Miss Titus, you're awake."

Remus' eyes suddenly flew back to hers, and Artemis felt her blue eyes widen. His gaze kept attacking her. He wasn't even doing anything, but his eyes were driving her crazy. She looked away, and over to her left where Madame Pomfrey stood with a healing potion. Artemis gave a small nod of acknowledgement at the nurse, who sighed exasperatedly.

"Are you still not talking, then? I had hoped that after all this time, you'd finally just learn to open your mouth…"

Artemis gave her a look, and lightly rolled her eyes. She got this lecture a lot.

"You're such an intelligent girl; I just don't understand what possesses you to be so quiet. You surely have so much to say."

Of course Artemis had much to say. She could fill books with the things she thought about, with the things she wondered about. With the way she felt, the things that hurt her. Artemis could talk for days about what crossed her mind; she didn't though. There was no one who had any want to hear it, save for the Hogwarts Staff. Even they sometimes faltered.

Instead though, Artemis just shrugged sluggishly, and motioned at the potion in Madame Pomfrey's hand.

"Oh, yes, yes," the nurse said, pouring the potion into a goblet for Artemis to drink from. "Just a quick Pepper-Up potion so you don't catch a cold, and then I'll heal your wound. Mr., Lupin, why are you still here?"

"I figured I'd stay to make sure she's alright," Remus replied in that level voice of his. Artemis kept her eyes facing the nurse as she sipped from the goblet. The potion went down easily, and she instantly felt herself heat up.

"Very well. It's good to see you with friends, Artemis," Madame Pomfrey said, as she brought the potion back to her desk. Artemis nearly choked on the potion in her goblet. Oh, how wrong the nurse was. "Now, if only he could get you to eat a tad bit more, we wouldn't see you in here so often."

Artemis' eyes were as wide as dinner plates, as she looked over at the nurse. Why was she saying these things out loud? The last thing she needed was for a Marauder to know about her eating problems. She didn't have the nerve to look at Remus Lupin, but she could feel his eyes burning into her. She knew he wanted to ask about it, but he had enough tact not to. Artemis had such an odd sensation inside of her. She was mortified, but she was more shocked at the fact that she actually cared about what Remus Lupin thought of her. She really shouldn't. After all, this would only be the latest addition to the list of why Artemis Titus is the bane of everyone's existence. She had made him late for the feast, she had gotten his cloak soaking wet, she was a mute, and now, she has an eating problem. She honestly did not understand why he was still even there at all.

"Now dear," the nurse said, bringing along another potion. This one to heal the wound on her head. "Drink this, and it'll heal that right up. You're going to have to spend the night in here, though. It will knock you out."

Artemis shrugged again. Not like she was going to miss out on anything major at the feast. If anything, this small interaction with Remus was far more interesting than anything that would have happened had she been at the feast. Madame Pomfrey poured out the potion, and handed her the goblet. Taking one last look at Remus Lupin, Artemis realized that in all the confusion, she hadn't thanked him at all. Even though she didn't understand his motives, he was being exceptionally kind.

She wanted to just pass off a small smile of thanks, but Artemis knew that he deserved a bit more than that. He was the first fellow student to not only kindly acknowledge her, but actually help her. She cleared her throat a bit.

"Uhm, thank you, Remus," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She knew he could hear her though, because he smiled back at her.

"It was no problem," he replied, his eyes once again capturing her own. Bringing the goblet to her lips, Artemis took a swig of the potion. She felt it tingle down her throat, and felt the nurse pull the goblet out of her hand. All she remembered after that was those amber eyes and the small smile on Remus Lupin's face as she fell into a stupor.


	5. Ink, and the Moon

Hey, before I get into this chapter, I just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed Silent Moon so far! You've all been extremely kind, and I'm so happy to hear that a few of you relate to Artemis. Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated, school just started and I've been a bit busy. But, here is chapter five! So, in closing, thank you for the reviews and support, and I hope to keep hearing from you guys!

* * *

"Miss Titus. Artemis, wake up dear."

Artemis heard the distant voice, and something shaking her lightly, but mentally fought against it. She wasn't ready to leave, she wasn't ready to move. She was far too comfortable. Besides, something smelled really good here.

"Miss Titus, up this instant! You have classes to attend!"

Artemis groaned lightly, and opened her heavy eyes. Madame Pomfrey was leaning over her, a stern look on her face. This was not a morning that she would tolerate tardiness. The nurse seemed put at ease that Artemis had awaken though, and promptly moved along to her desk to begin her day's work.

Artemis yawned and stretched her body up and over her head, observing how the light shone in quite beautifully into the ward. Artemis had always liked it in the hospital wing. Everything was light, and clean. It was usually quiet, unless there was a bug going around the school, or near Quidditch matches (players tended to hex one another in the hallways). Alas, the matron was quite right. Artemis had double potions this morning. Knowing the nurse, Artemis had been woken up just in time to go and grab some breakfast first. As she dressed into the clean set of clothes and robes that had been set out for her (no doubt a house elf brought it), Artemis suddenly noticed something lying on the empty chair beside her bed.

There lay a graying cloak, hung over the edge of the chair. It was a tad bit tattered and fraying at its edges, and there was a button missing at the top. Artemis noticed instantly that the fact that it had been damp seemed to intensify the natural smell that fell around it; it smelled like earth, and dewy leaves. It was such a fresh scent; it was almost as if one had just taken a stroll through the forest in it. Artemis hesitated at first, but then threw caution to the wind, and raised a corner of it to her nose. Yes, it smelled absolutely wonderful. She distantly wondered if Remus Lupin indeed smelled like this as well, before blushing at her own thought. What a silly thing to think about. She shouldn't be concerned with how Remus Lupin smelled.

Taking her belongings, Artemis thanked Madame Pomfrey for her care, before slipping out of the wing with the cloak. She would have to find Remus and give it back to him. She was curious as to how he had forgotten to bring it back to the common room with him when he left the previous night. Artemis would have to find him alone; she didn't want to approach him when he was surrounded by other Marauders, or one of the other Gryffindors. She was embarrassed enough that the other boys had seen her in such a state the night before; she could already hear in her mind the things that they must have said about her.

And then of course, Remus had returned to them with a fresh set of things to gossip about. She could see exactly what he could say. Artemis Titus was a pathetic twat who doesn't even eat; she must not eat because she's too busy sucking the souls out of Muggle-borns…or maybe something less dramatic. But either way, Artemis wasn't stupid. Remus Lupin might be a generally nice boy, but a Marauder couldn't ignore that type of material. She knew that people talked about her when they thought she wasn't looking. They talked about her, but never to her. It was an off concept, to think that people could have so much to say about a person, but had never held a full conversation with her. Then again, that was her own fault…

Artemis sighed to herself as she wandered her way up to Gryffindor tower to grab her school bag. She wasn't going to breakfast. She didn't want to see if Remus had told about their run in the previous night. She could always tell what they were thinking by their stares. If they had nothing new, they ignored her. If they were discussing her, they glared in her direction. Artemis was hungry, she could hear her stomach growling as if trying to make conversation with her, but she didn't have the energy to face everyone just yet. She had folded up Remus Lupin's cloak and hurried along her way, glad to not run into anyone who might assume that she had stolen it.

As she gave the password to the Gryffindor tower ("_Bittibus!_") and crawled in through the portrait hole, she found the common room pretty empty, save for a few early birds who had already gone to breakfast and returned. No one in her year seemed to be there. Artemis relaxed considerably.

After dashing up to her dorm and grabbing her things, she wondered what she would do with Remus' cloak. The next time she would see him would be in class, where he would not only be surrounded by fellow Gryffindors, but Slytherins as well. She didn't not like the idea of drawing attention to herself during class where Slytherins were involved. Especially with Apollo there. Just as she thought this over, Artemis noticed a group of third year boys walking down the staircase leading to the boys dormitories. Of course! She would place his cloak at the door to the sixth year boys dormitory, and leave a note. Perfect! No confrontation necessary!

Artemis looked around to ensure no one saw her ascending the stairways, and quickly rushed all the way up. She continued until she reached the correct level. She refolded the cloak a little neater, and set it down lightly on the ground directly in front of the door. Removing a small spare bit of parchment and a quill, Artemis leaned against the door and began scrawling out a small message.

Just as she moved to dip her quill into her bottle of ink that she was balancing in her hand, the door suddenly swung open. In a matter of seconds, Artemis was stumbling over and into whoever had been in the doorway, her quill and ink bottle flying through the air. A loud "Oof!" emitted from the body beneath her as they hit the floor, quickly followed by the clinking of the ink bottle smashing. Artemis groaned aloud. She felt liquid spreading all over her, and the person below her.

Lifting her head, she noticed a mess of black hair, and a pair of glasses that had shifted oddly over brown eyes. Those brown eyes, belonging to James Potter, bore into her own before they narrowed sharply.

"Gerroff me Titus!" was the snarl that came out from him, before Artemis was swiftly shoved off beside him. James stood, with Sirius and Peter standing behind him as witnesses to the incident. He looked down at his robes, which were now covered with jet black ink. Artemis opened her mouth to begin a world of apologies, when she noticed a rag on the floor. Except it wasn't a rag. It was Remus' cloak, and it was now covered in ink. She stared at it in horror, forgetting that fact that she was creating quite a puddle herself as the black liquid had drenched her long hair.

"Oh no…" she said in a whimper of a voice, reaching out to take hold on the damaged article of clothing. Before she could grasp it though, she was bombarded by voices. Voices, and cold eyes.

"What the bloody hell are you playing at, Titus?!" Potter spat at her. "Think you're funny, coming to mess with us before class?"

"No, no, I didn't mean to," was the small reply, as Artemis quickly grabbed the soiled cloak, as if it would somehow anchor her, and keep her strong during this.

"I highly doubt that," Sirius sneered, leaning into the doorway, his eyes like blades. "You do this just for kicks, or did Snivellus put you up to this? He usually likes to make us late to Potions."

"No, really, I—"

"What a second, isn't that Moony's cloak?" Peter suddenly piped in, staring at the clothing in Artemis' hands. James and Sirius both zeroed in on it as well, and before Artemis knew it, Sirius had snatched it out of her hands and into his own with lightening speed. He unfolded and held it up, examining the damage. It was splotched all over where the ink had spilled on the surface. Sirius just shook his head as if he was reading an essay that he disagreed with. He and James shared a look, before turning back to Artemis.

"Look, you," James started. Artemis simply stared up at them both from her spot on the floor. "I dunno what your problem is, or what this is about, but it wasn't funny, got that?"

"Yeah, especially after Remus being nice to you last night, against his better judgment," Sirius added in. He took out his wand and used a spell to clean all of the ink off of the cloak. He then repeated it on James, who was instantly cleaned off and ready to go. Sirius turned back to her. "So let's get one thing straight here. We will not forget this."

"We've been holding back, figuring you honestly weren't worth it," James said, quickly brushing through his hair to make sure it looked alright in the mirror before turning back to Artemis, who still sat dripping from her ink on the floor. "But now…"

"You've opened the door."

"Literally," Peter added in, attempting to make be menacing, but not exactly matching up to the two other boys. Sirius continued.

"And all bets are off."

"You won't know where."

"Or when."

"Just know that we will return the favor."

And with that, the boys shoved past Artemis, who lay sitting on the floor in her puddle of ink. She watched as James and Sirius strutted ahead with straight faces and down the stairs, Peter nearly snorting with glee at the scene that had just played before his porky little eyes. Artemis was stuck in to the spot. She for some unknown reason had always been exempt from the notorious Marauder pranks. Ignoring her had always been painful enough. But as Artemis went over all the times she had seen Severus Snape and various other Slytherins falling victim to a Marauder prank, she began to panic.

After all, it was just last year that they began pulling people upside down and hanging them in midair. Would they do that even though she was a girl, and wore a skirt? Would they put something in her pumpkin juice on one of the rare occasions that she was in the Great Hall? Would they make her hair look funny, or make her start burping the alphabet in Spanish during Transfiguration? Their pranks had always been a bit harmless, but Artemis knew that the real painful experience wasn't the actual prank; it was the humiliation that came afterwards. Everyone talked about you until the next victim came along.

Would Artemis become the new Severus Snape? She shuddered at the thought. That boy was notoriously dark, but who could blame him? He had been made fun of every waking moment at Hogwarts, literally from the second he stepped off the train first year and bumped into James. Granted, he had it coming a lot of the time, but still. One could easily argue that the fact that he received little love from fellow students was the reason he was so hostile towards them all.

Artemis shoved the thought from her mind though, as she realized she would have to get up and leave for class eventually. Taking out her wand, she cleaned herself off, and checked herself in the boys' mirror. She looked thin. She would have to start shrinking her robes a bit, if she wanted them to not completely consume her. Sighing, she pulled her long hair up into a messy bun, and hurried on to potions. Marauders or not, she would not be late. Even if it meant facing them again.

* * *

The weeks passed easily enough as the school year began full swing. Artemis, as well as all the other upperclassmen, was seriously feeling the heat of the NEWT level classes they were taking. Never had such large amounts of work been loaded up on the students. She had thought OWL year was a bit harsh, but it wasn't nearly as bad as this. She felt bad for the other students that had multiple obligations, like Quidditch, or Charms Club. Artemis herself was spending practically all her time in either the common room, or the Library doing work until her hand turned numb. She was used to working like this, so as she became more adjusted to the heavy work schedule, Artemis found herself finishing her assignments faster and faster.

This year, Transfiguration was looking like it would be her top class. She was able to do all the spells that they were learning within the first class period, or even sometimes, the first or second time she even attempted the spells. She had changed the kitten they were presented with into a plush foot stool and back within the second week of school, beating even James Potter, who was her biggest competitor for best grades in the class. James might be beating her if it weren't for all the points he lost for misbehaving in class. No, Artemis was ahead of the game, and loving it.

All of her classes aside, Artemis had found another solace. Some nights when all the other girls, particularly Lily, who was a prefect, were sleeping, Artemis would sneak out of Gryffindor Tower and up to the Astronomy tower to gaze up at the sky. She was a fast runner, and was great at blending in with shadows, as she had never been caught in the process. Artemis had first started doing this at the beginning of fifth year, and found that sitting and staring at the stars made her feel so whimsical. They brightened her spirit, even though they had no way of helping her situation. She would spend a good few hours just sitting on the ledge and gazing up at the heavens.

She did this now, about two weeks before Halloween. That particular day had been rough; she had been running late to Arithmancy when two of Apollo's friends had cornered her. Rudolph Lestrange and Donald McRiechen were the two Slytherin Beaters. Rudolph was tall, and had broad shoulders. He had dark brown hair that was cut short, almost like it had been shaved off. Donald was large, but not nearly as tall. He was all meat, just muscle upon muscle of mean. They were known to be beaters both on, and off the field.

Luckily, they had some mercy on girls; they didn't beat girls, they just broke their belongings. And that's what they had come to do. Rudolph had used _Petrificus Totalis!_ On Artemis, and she had fallen to the floor, leaving the boys to take her bag, and rip the seam, letting everything fall around her. Papers had gone flying, ink bottles had been broken, her quills crushed as the boys stepped on them. They had lumbered away just as the effects of the spell wore off, leaving Artemis to pick up everything, and stumble to class. She lost Gryffindor twenty points for being late, and received the customary glare from those in her house the rest of the day.

So, she sat on the ledge, letting her trouble slip away. She knew that she should have told the professor what had happened, but then the Slytherins would come back and do something worse, so she just let it go. It was ironic though that the Gryffindors never minded when Marauders lost them points, yet they looked at her like she had killed Albus Dumbledore or something.

Artemis hummed lightly to herself, as she took a few glances down at the grounds. It was always so peaceful at night. She liked silence, but only when it was natural, like this. Grabbing her coat, she decided she should probably head back in before the caretaker found her, when she heard a rustling from down at the edge of the forest. She paused, and looked back down at the grounds.

Out of the brush leaped the largest dog Artemis had ever laid her eyes on. It was barking playfully, and its tail was wagging as it ran around in circles, as though waiting for something. Soon another animal came out from the trees as well; a stag.

"What on earth…" Artemis wondered aloud as she watched the two run around together. Never had she seen a deer so friendly, with a dog of all animals. Deer were usually timid creatures, especially when it came to canines. Yet, here she witnessed a huge dog and a stag together as if it was a common occurrence. She sat back down to watch the two play together. The dog was chasing after the stag, and then when it got close enough to touch it, the stag would jump over the dog like a race horse. Artemis was in awe. She didn't however, expect the next creature that came out of the woods.

Artemis had to squint to see it clearly. It was bigger than the already huge dog, that was for sure, and its barks were slightly different, a bit rougher. The full moon came out from beneath a group of clouds, and illuminated the grounds, making it clearer. The third creature was a wolf, from what Artemis saw. Yes, this made a bit more sense, a dog and a wolf together. However, the stag also seemed to welcome the newcomer into the group, and the three animals ran around together like they were best mates some how. Artemis was amused at the sight, and decided she would ask Professor Kettleburn at the next Care of Magical Creatures class.

Artemis took a moment to look back up at the moon and held her gaze for a number of seconds. The moon had always been so beautiful. Astronomy had been one of Artemis' favorite subjects at Hogwarts, and by far, the moon was her favorite part of the night sky. Perhaps just because it was so close, or because it was so white, and clean. Sure, it was a hunk of rock, but it was astonishingly beautiful. She had heard that American Muggles had created a machine that carried them to the moon, completely without magic. Of course, everyone knew that Hermann Blomein had already been to the moon in 1867 when he invented the Bubble-head Charm, giving him an amble supply of oxygen as he traversed the galaxy. But, Muggles wouldn't know that, after all.

Artemis wrapped her cloak around her right as the wolf below gave a great large howl into the sky. Artemis snapped her head down to look at it, and was surprised to see its head looking up, and facing her. It had stopped running around, and just looked at the Astronomy Tower. Artemis was about to laugh to herself how absurd this could be when she noticed one of the wolf's features; it had no tail. Artemis gasped, realization hitting her. The wolf was aware of her presence, the full moon was out, and it had no tail. She was too far up to see the wolf's eyes, but if she was close enough she would bet her wand that they looked human. The creature she was looking down at wasn't a wolf, it was a werewolf.

The other animals had stopped running around when they noticed their wolf companion had frozen on the spot. Following its gaze up, the dog, stag, and rat that had remained unnoticed due to its small size found themselves looking up at the Astronomy tower, unsure as to what was so exciting about it. They didn't know that Artemis had just then sunk below the ledge, her hand over her mouth in shock.


	6. Boils, and Awkward Conversations

Hey everyone! I just want to give my deepest apologies for such a space in between updates. It's week two of my senior year, and boy is it already hectic. But, tis the weekend! So, updates!

Also, to Lovrofthearts, I haven't read Speak, but I've seen the movie with Kristen Stewart. You're right, this is partially where I got the inspiration for this story. I just think the concept of someone being silenced because no one understands her actions is tragic, and makes for such a touching story. So, you're spot on.

Anyway, here we go! Enjoy!

* * *

Artemis couldn't forget the sight of a werewolf walking about the campus grounds for the next few days. She had ended up hurrying back to her dormitory that night, and crawled into bed, but every few minutes, she found herself getting up to look out the window. From Gryffindor Tower, you could still get a decent view of the grounds, but from the angle she was at, the three creatures she had laid eyes upon were unable to be seen. Slightly disheartened, she nipped back into bed, falling asleep to the thoughts of her peculiar observation.

The full moon affects a werewolf the strongest on the specific day of the full moon, but Artemis knew that sometimes the affects would linger for another day. She had attempted to go back to the Astronomy tower the next night, but the caretaker was sulking about the tower corridors, and Artemis knew that even with her sneaking skills, there was no way that she would be able to get past him unseen.

Her mind was reeling at this precious information as she passed through the corridors for the following days. A werewolf. On campus. Should she be scared? Artemis had met that horrible man, Fenrir Greyback, an acquaintance of her father's. Greyback had always scared her as a child, eying her and her brother as if they were meat even during the waxing periods of the moon phases. But at the same time, Artemis would not be ignorant enough to believe that all werewolves acted the same way as Greyback. Obviously if he was in the ranks of her family, then he was a dark wizard.

Even though Artemis knew the dangers of werewolves, and the way they were looked upon in society, she couldn't help but feel delightfully anxious. A Hogwarts student, someone who walked amongst her daily, was a werewolf. It didn't scare her at all. She was absolutely enthralled with the concept.

'They must be quite the recluse,' Artemis mused, as she made her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Yes, this person must be a complete outsider, with little amounts of friends, if any at all. If they were able to come to Hogwarts, it had to be because Dumbledore ensured it be kept secret. And friends tend to notice when you disappear every full moon. Too many questions. Naturally, a werewolf couldn't be social in fear of exposing themselves. And once you were exposed as a werewolf…

'Well, you're treated like me…' Artemis thought dismally as she approached the closed door to the classroom. She was early, having skipped lunch and just headed straight for class. She was not the first, however.

Leaning against the stone wall, rigid as a board, and clutching his books to his chest was Severus Snape. His gaze was set straight forward, and did not move to acknowledge Artemis as she approached. Artemis also redirected her eyes to a nondescript spot in the corridor, and just stared blankly. A few seconds passed, and Artemis let her eyes move to peek at Snape. Just as she looked at him, his eyes darted in her direction, and the two locked eyes. The gaze was held for a second, before they both quickly looked away, feeling the awkward moment intensify.

Fortunately, other students began to arrive, and when Professor Shannon opened his classroom door, Artemis rushed in to find her seat at the very front of the classroom as usual.

Professor Shannon moved to the front of the classroom, and leaned against the end of his desk.

"Alright alright, let's all get ourselves seated, please. That means you, Potter," he said casually, not even looking up from his stack of graded essays in order to chastise James, who currently was making hummingbirds zoom around Lily's head. Lily looked red in the face, which horribly clashed with her auburn hair. Shannon simply continued to lean against his desk, waiting for the class to settle in.

Professor Shannon was a younger professor than most of the staff at Hogwarts. He was in his early thirties, with a mop of curly brown hair atop his head, and a small beard to match. He wore circular glasses that seemed to magnify his eyes. This tended to be comical when he got excited, because Shannon seemed to naturally widen his eyes as he explained topics he was particularly enthused about, and the glasses just made them look that much larger. While he was young, he had a bit of a gut growing, but didn't nearly reach the level of obesity that Slughorn currently found himself in. Shannon was new this year (they had had a different teacher in the DADA subject every year), but he was already a very revered staff member. He was funny, and could relate to the students better than say, Professor Binns, or McGonagall.

Finally, he looked up.

"Okay, let's get to it," Shannon said, taking his wand out of his pocket, and flicking it lightly. The marked essays traveled throughout the classroom, and landed carefully onto each person's desk. Artemis' landed right into her hands, and she gazed down to be face to face with another O. Another perfect essay. She was glad. She had worked on this research essay on destructive jinxes, and their uses to wizarding society for two nights.

"Now, today, I want everyone to get together into groups of two," the professor continued, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Silent spellwork is a must for NEWT level students, and I'm not gonna lie guys, I don't think you will get it right today in class But, we are going to work at it throughout the year, so whoever you get with today will be your practicing partner for the rest of the term, understand?"

Immediately, all of the students rose, and the desks backed themselves against the walls. Gryffindors were getting together with one another, and the Slytherins followed suite. Potter and Black instantly moved together, as well as Lily and Emmeline. Pettigrew went with Dorcas, and the Slytherins matched themselves up evenly. There was an even number of people in the class, and Artemis was currently standing alone. That meant that one person was missing.

"And Miss Titus, it looks like Mr. Lupin will have to be your partner when he returns to class," Professor Shannon remarked, as he too noticed the divide amongst the students. Artemis anxiously fiddled with her wand, trying to ignore the stares that she was getting from the Marauders. They did not like the idea of her being partnered with Remus. Artemis felt her stomach drop. This naturally had to happen to her…

"No matter," the professor continued. "I'll be your partner for the day. Anyway, class, I just want you to all practice the Disarming Spell for now. As you know, silent spellwork is advantageous when it comes to dueling. Your opponent has no idea what you are throwing at him, giving you the upper hand. Granted, they will probably be using silent spells too, so, at least it will put you on even ground should you find yourself in a duel.

"Now, all you need to do, is focus on the incantation in your mind, and say it in your thoughts. After a great deal of practice, you will find the magic flows just the same as it does when you verbally cast spells. Got it?" The class looked on, half looking as though this subject was child's play for them, while others, like Severus Snape, and the Marauders were wearing small smirks. This would surely aid them when it came to hexing duels in the corridors, and pranking no doubt. Just what Artemis needed. The wonder twins over there, and Pettigrew casting silent pranks. Shannon just scanned the room with an enthusiastic smile. "Good! Let's get to it, then!"

Everyone lined up, and faced their partner. Artemis felt awkward, dueling her own professor, but Shannon gave her an encouraging smile. It was amusing to see others around her, their thinking faces on. Pettigrew seemed to think that cutting off from breathing was necessary for the spells to work, because he was getting quite red in the face. Artemis just turned back to Shannon, and focused.

'You can do this,' she thought to herself. She zeroed in on Shannon's wand, and flicked her own in its direction. 'Expelliarmus!'

…Shannon's wand twitched lightly in his hand.

"Good start, Miss Titus, you got it to move! Now, try it again." The professor said encouragingly. Artemis nodded, and focused again. This was just like every other time she used the Disarming spell. When you spoke, you usually think the words that are coming out of your mouth. It was just like saying it aloud. Artemis raised her wand again.

'Expelliarmus!' she thought sharply, but the wand barely trembled in Shannon's grasp.

"It's alright, Miss Titus. Just a couple more tries, come on."

Artemis was biting her lip now, trying to focus. Would fighting Remus Lupin be like this, she wondered? His face had suddenly found its way into her train of thought, and she stood idly for a moment or two, just thinking over how Lupin would react to find out she was his partner. No doubt he'd be just as upset over it as the others. She had seen him in class since the coat incident. She hadn't the courage to approach him and apologize again, and obviously leaving a note by the door backfired. She didn't have the heart to try and explain herself to him. They would just think she was lying anyway, that it was some ploy, no matter what she did. It was no use.

That's when Lupin's partners in pranking crime sprung their attack. Artemis had been standing, eyes focused on Shannon's wand, but mind elsewhere, when suddenly, she saw a stream of light fly out of her wand. The purple light hit her face, and knocked her back a bit. The light engulfed her head for a moment, before unraveling to reveal Artemis with pustules on her face. Artemis felt her face as the class began laughing at her. Had she caused this backfired spell while thinking of Remus? No, she hadn't even been thinking of an incantation. Artemis gasped, and looked around at her classmates. She knew instantly where this had come from. James and Sirius was grinning widely.

"Now, now class, calm down, just a small mistake," Shannon remarked, stopping Artemis from covering up her face so he could get a good look at the damage. Artemis' eyes brimmed with tears as the laughter seemed to only intensify. Even for the Marauders, classroom pranks were harsh. They were reckless to be hexing other students in full view of the professor, but the boys were smart enough to take advantage of the lesson for the day. Naturally they made the hex look like a mistake on her part. She knew better than that.

"It should be alright, just nip over to the Hospital Wing, Miss Titus," Professor Shannon said, giving her a small note so she could roam the halls. "let's see, Mr. Titus, would you be so kind as to escort your sister?"

Apollo had been sitting on a desk, laughing at his sister's plight with his cronies, and didn't stop to even listen to the professor. He just kept laughing, wiping tears of joy from his ice blue eyes.

"I can escort myself just fine, Professor," Artemis whispered to him, before running out of the room, her hands covering her face.

Upon arrival, Madame Pomfrey stopped fussing over a second year with the flu and rushed over. She immediately lay Artemis down in a bed, and whipped out her wand. With a wave and flick, Artemis felt all of the boils on her face sink back into her skin, and disappear. She wiped her eyes of tears, trying not to look like the fool she was. She shouldn't have cried in front of the class. That's exactly what the boys wanted.

"Artemis, what happened?" Madame Pomfrey inquired, sitting at the foot of her bed. Artemis just looked down and shook her head. The matron just rolled her eyes. "Young lady, I will not allow you to waltz in here with a face full of boils, and let you walk out without an explanation." Artemis sighed. She was right, but Artemis didn't want to expose the boys.

"Was it Black and Potter?" The nurse guessed correctly, eyeing Artemis. Artemis shook her head quickly, and responding at a rapid rate.

"No, no, it wasn't the Marauders. We were doing silent spells in Defense class, and mine backfired, and it was just a mistake."

Madame Pomfrey eyed her, but seemed to let it slide. She stood up and began pacing.

"I'd have liked to catch those boys doing something again. We've had three boys in here this week because of them!" she mused angrily. "And with Mr. Lupin out sick in here, the other two and that Pettigrew boy seem to act up more…"

Artemis found herself looking around with wide eyes. The bed across from her had the second year with the flu, and then all beds save for the one at the very end of the wing were empty. The last bed had the curtains pulled around it. That had to be where Remus was.

"Madame Pomfrey?" Artemis asked softly, and the matron swiveled to face her. "May I stay for the rest of the class period and help out?"

"Why yes, Artemis, that'd be kind of you. I have a great deal of paperwork to do. That blasted season is coming up, and the hexing has already begun…" Madame Pomfrey of course was referring to Quidditch season. Indeed, Artemis had seen the Gryffindor team out in the pitch practicing at every moment they had free. Artemis gave a smile of thanks, and set off to the normal duties she did while helping out in the hospital wing. The boy with the flu needed a potion, and Madame Pomfrey had already brewed it. Artemis poured out the correct measurements, and gave it to the matron to offer the boy. Then, she went to changing all of the sheets.

This took a good half hour, as there were many beds, and Madame Pomfrey preferred it be done without magic. Artemis had just finished the final bed before reaching the one occupied by Remus Lupin. She hadn't heard a word all period from him, and wondered if he was asleep. She also wondered what was ailing him. She boy had looked a bit peaky the last time she saw him.

"Excuse me, Madame Pomfrey," Artemis whispered to the nurse. "What is wrong with Remus Lupin?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about. He was scratched by a poisonous Derbly Plant. You know, the stingers on the end," the matron obliged, working on her official paperwork. "He's been asleep all day. Feel free to check on him though, he might be hungry."

Artemis' eyes widened. She didn't want to wake him, much less ask him if he was hungry. She was silently very glad she lied and blamed the boils on her folly. If Lupin was actually awake and had heard, the Marauders would know that it was her that got them into trouble. That would only end badly.

"Well don't just stand there! Ask the boy! Merlin knows he looks like he could use some food…" Madame Pomfrey insisted, and Artemis sighed and nodded. She padded her way over to the secluded bed, and lightly pulled back the curtains. Remus lay in the bed, looking quite pale, and slumbering with his mouth slightly agape. Artemis almost forgot why she had come for a moment, finding herself smiling softly at his expression. He looked sweet when he slept. Then again, he looked sweet when he was awake.

Artemis rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. What was coming over her, all these thoughts of Remus Lupin? Even if she liked the boy, it wasn't like anything would ever happen between them. Artemis was a leper amongst her classmates, and Remus was set on a pedestal. No, he would never look at her the same way.

Artemis shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts. Who needed romance, anyway? However, when she gazed down at Remus again, she found herself face to face with those amber eyes. Remus was awake, and staring at her. Artemis gasped, and almost fell back into the curtains, but felt Remus' hand shoot out to steady her. She stood perfectly still, his large hand still wrapped around her tiny wrist. She was frozen, not sure of what to say.

"Artemis, what are you doing here?" Remus scratched out, his voice low and husky. Artemis felt something melt inside of her at the sound of it, but quickly recomposed herself.

"I, uhm, was just, uh, helping Madame Pomfrey for this period," Artemis said in her small voice, unable to look away from Remus' face. His eyes were doing that thing where they pulled her into a trance, and refuse to let her go. It made her feel unusual, and at the same time, very safe. "She wanted me to check on you. See if you were hungry."

Remus finally released Artemis' wrist, and sat up straight. Artemis just stood there, unsure of what to do now.

"In that case, yeah, I am a bit hungry," Remus said, scratching his head lightly. "But, wait, what time is it?"

"Around eleven." Artemis muttered lightly.

"Then…" Remus said, his brow furrowing. "Shouldn't you be in Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"I was," Artemis replied, finally breaking her gaze with Remus to look down at her hands. "My spell backfired, and hit my face. Needless to say, I had to come here to reverse to result."

"Your spell backfired?" Remus said incredulously, making Artemis bite her lip. When would he just most past it, and change the subject. "That seems to unlike you, Artemis. You're usually spot on in Defense class. You're the best in the class."

"Yes, well, not today," Artemis said quickly, giving him a quick look, before shifting her vision again. She didn't want to get lost in his eyes once more. She stood awkwardly, debating on how to slip away without being rude. Remus was eyeing her though, still with a look of disbelief on his face.

"It was James and Sirius, wasn't it?" Remus said simply, in a soft tone. He gazed up at her kindly. Artemis looked back at him, still biting her lip. She shook her head no. She had spoken far too much in such a short amount of time. Remus chuckled lightly. "Yeah, it was them. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you're a terrible liar."

Artemis just gawked at him, feeling her wall crumble. She just shook her head no again, as if that would make the situation more bearable.

"Listen, Artemis, I heard about what happened with my cloak, and…"

Artemis took a deep breath and cut him off.

"Look Remus, I'm really really sorry about what happened with the cloak, I swear I really didn't mean to spill the ink on it, I was just writing a note saying thank you for lending it to me, and for helping me and everything, but then the door opened, and I fell, and the ink went flying, and then James and Sirius were there and they thought I was just messing with you, but I swear I wasn't, I swear. And alright, it was them that hexed me, but please don't tell them that I told you, cause then they'll probably just want to get back at me more, and honestly, I am not cut out for the life of Severus Snape, I'm really not. So, please, I'm really sorry, and I'll leave you alone now," Artemis said in one large breath rapidly.

And with that, she yanked back the curtains, and ran out of the hospital wing, leaving a befuddled Madame Pomfrey, and a curious Remus Lupin staring after her.


	7. The Aftermath

Hey All! I realize it has been months since I have updated. We've even gone into a new year! Honestly, I got seriously distracted and temporarily forgot about this story. I only just remembered it, and felt terrible. Anyhow, thanks for those that stuck by it, and reviewed for me to update! Happy New Year everyone!

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Artemis' heart was pounding rapidly the rest of the afternoon, as though she was being administered a shot of adrenaline every hour or so. Her day had already been turned upside down with the events that transpired in Defense class, but after that encounter with Remus Lupin…Artemis didn't even know how to feel. She had immediately headed back to Defense class to gather her things, and then straight to the library to hide during her break period. She had to think, and she knew that the common room would be absolutely swamped during this time of the day.

Settling into the Muggle Literature section, where not many ventured unless assigned, Artemis found a table next to a large bay window. She set her things down, and practically collapsed on the table. She felt so silly for just running out of the hospital wing, but she knew no other way for dealing with stress. She couldn't forget the look he had in his eyes though, or his husky voice from waking up, or the feeling of his warm hand wrapped around her thin wrist. She knew that these thoughts were useless, but she couldn't help but feel them. She was smitten with a boy that she could never have.

Laying her head down on her arms, she stared out the window towards the Forbidden Forest. She thought back to her discovery of the werewolf on campus, and momentarily forgot about her incident with Remus Lupin. Her secret observation had become a small obsession for her. She treasured the secret, and longed to know who the human behind the creature was. She just knew that this person would understand what she was going through; they would surely be a wonderful person to speak with. She desperately wanted someone in her life to talk to other than her journals.

And so, the identity of the werewolf had become a soothing thought for her. A mystery to take her mind of all other problems. As she stared out the window, she saw a hippogriff gliding over the treetops before diving back down. The half breed creature made her smile, and she closed her eyes to collect herself for her next class.

Later that evening, while Artemis was finishing an Arithmancy essay in her empty dormitory, the Marauders were welcoming a friend and fellow prankster back from his vacation.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Padfoot," Remus said with a smile as he flopped down into his favorite plush armchair, "It is the farthest thing from a vacation."

"Yeah, Moons, but it's better to say than your 'furry little problem', eh?" replied Sirius who lay across the couch, taking up its entire length, and with one leg hanging off.

"I will admit, Prongs, that is a lame name for it," Remus had to agree, looking at his messy haired friend. James merely smirked.

"Oh please, Moony, you love every moment."

The four Marauders always loved post-full moon banter, and were enjoying their relaxing evening before the fire. Peter sat attentively at the end of the couch by Sirius' feet, almost as though he'd pay just to rub them if he could. Instead he just stared at his friends, enjoying just being allowed in their presence. James leaned against the mantle of the fire, debating on whether to take out the Snitch that was currently clasped in his palm. He looked around though, and didn't see Lily meandering about, so he decided to just pocket it until she got back. Surely it would impress her, or at least annoy her enough to talk to him.

An owl began to tap on the common room window, and with a flick of his wand, Sirius opened it. The owl swooped and landed at the head of the couch, and offered its leg to Sirius, presenting the Evening Prophet.

"Anyway, mate, how was your day?" Sirius asked, paying the owl, before sending it off again. "Anything interesting happen in the hospital wing? We ended up nicking that Swarthy kid in fourth year, got him to sprout turnips out his nose. How did Poppy take it?"

Remus smiled and chuckled lightly. He did remember that kid coming in, and Madame Pomfrey was none too pleased.

"Oh yeah, she loved that one," he replied, putting his legs up on an ottoman. He pulled out a large piece of chocolate from the Honeydukes, and began to nibble at it. "She was grumbling about you lot for a good hour, if I remember."

"Ah, lovely. Poppy loves our little mementos," James remarked, revealing a smirk that matched Sirius'.

"Is that what you lot call them?" Remus laughed, rolling his eyes. His mates really were too much. He was used to this, of course. Remus might not be a true prankster, but he knew how much his friends loved the ignoble art. He was sure the only reason he had even been made a Prefect was to keep them in line, but surely even Dumbledore knew that was never going to happen. If anything, the Marauders' pranks had gotten worse and more frequent.

Remus agreed with the victims of most of the pranks. The Slytherins really did deserve what they got. That Swarthy kid had been calling Emmeline's younger brother a Mudblood lover, because he was dating a Muggleborn from Hufflepuff. That just wasn't right, and Remus was fine with the way his mates sorted things out. Thinking about the shy Hufflepuff girl made Remus' thoughts drift off to another shy student, although she was by no means a Muggleborn…

What a peculiar girl Artemis Titus was. Honestly, he hadn't heard her say so many words in one go in…well…not since first year. And even then, she never really spoke that much. Remus began picking at memories of her over the years, and placed a mental image of her at eleven with the image of her now at sixteen. Her hair was the same shade of course, and those eyes. Those eyes were as blue as ever, but they had changed. In first year, he remembered how harsh they were. They were like shards of ice, rather than an actual color. Her hair was short as well, short and stick straight. She was rigid, and sharp not only in her tone towards everyone but in her appearance.

The girl who was trembling while she spoke that morning had to be a different girl. Artemis had changed so much in five years, at least appearance-wise. Her hair had grown so much, all the way down to her waist. It didn't harshly frame her face, stick straight as before. It was loose, wavy. It flowed. And her eyes…they were as wide as saucers this morning. Remus found himself chuckling lightly at the thought of them. She was like a small child that had accidently broken a teacup. Her pointed nose no longer seemed harsh, but more pixie-like. It made her face seem sweeter.

No, Artemis Titus did not look anything like the way she used to. And as Remus thought more about it, she had been acting much differently as well.

His reclusive moment and sudden chuckle caught Sirius' attention, however.

"Wat'chu laughing about over there, mate?" he asked, peering over at his friend. Remus looked over, and hesitated at first. Before he knew it, however, he had already begun blurting it out.

"There was one other thing from the hospital wing today," Remus began, sitting up a bit in his chair. "Artemis Titus."

James and Sirius locked eyes, and then burst into laughter. Peter began squeaking with delight, his eyes twinkling. He loved when the others retold their pranks.

"Oh Moony, it was hilarious…"

"To die for, really…"

"We were doing silent enchantments—"

"And she was thinking about something, you could tell she wasn't paying attention—"

"We thought of it out of no where, really!"

"And so we made it seem like she had done this jinx on accident—"

"And these boils! All over her face!"

"She looked monstrous! The class went crazy!"

"Even her brute of a brother thought it was a good laugh…"

"Yeah, even I was a bit worried about that one bit," James commented, settling down on Sirius' legs, making Sirius punch him in the arm. "I mean, hexing her right in front of her brother? That could have ended badly."

"Yeah, but he thought it was funnier than anything. Shannon asked him to take her to the hospital wing, but he was too busy laughing," Sirius added, a look of satisfaction on his face, loving the fond memory. "The girl didn't stand a chance. No one messes with our Moony and gets away with it."

"Yeah, what was that even about, with your cloak?" James asked, leaning back into the couch. "Bird thought she could take the mickey out on you like that?"

When Remus didn't reply, the others looked up curiously. Remus was just staring back at them, his expression blank.

"What is it, mate?"

Remus shook his head lightly, unsure of what to say. Obviously his mates didn't realize she hadn't purposely spilled ink on his cloak. He didn't really care about the cloak; he wasn't sure why they were even making such a huge deal out of it. With a simple spell, the ink was cleared off anyway. But to hear what had transpired in the classroom, Remus didn't find himself laughing. He found himself reimagining the scenario from Artemis' point of view. Everyone was surely laughing at her. And her brother, of all people? Apollo Titus didn't even care about her public humiliation. She had suffered that for something as stupid as spilling something on his ratty old cloak.

"Look you guys, I don't think Artemis meant to spill that ink on my cloak," Remus began slowly, only to be met by the confused looks of his friends. "I talked to her in the hospital wing, and she burst out of no where with how sorry she was about it, and mates, she was really sincere, I know it."

Sirius and James caught one another's eyes, incredulous to this statement. Looking back, Sirius was shaking his head.

"Mate, look, this bird is bad news. Artemis Titus doesn't do sincere unless it involves hating everything that isn't pureblood," he said, sitting up straight on the couch. James nodded, but didn't add. Sirius continued. "Don't let her fool you, mate. She probably just wants you to think she's sorry so she can get us back."

"Which she won't," James piped up.

"Right at that, you are," Sirius replied. "Honestly Moony, don't fall for that. I simply won't have it. She's as bad as a Slytherin."

"Honestly though," Remus protested, "don't you guys think that's going a bit far? I mean, I didn't mind the cloak, and embarrassing her in front of the whole class? Her brother?"

"Apollo didn't seem to mind," Peter said quietly, adding his two sickles to the argument. Sirius and James nodded.

"Look mate, don't worry about it," Sirius said, getting up and draping himself across Remus' lap. "Artemis Titus is not worth fussing over."

Remus dropped the subject, and let the guys tell him about a prank they were setting up for Snape later that week. Inside though, Remus refused to believe Artemis Titus was not worth fussing over. That girl wasn't what she seemed, Remus was sure of it. And he was determined to figure out the mystery behind her.


	8. Animagi and Recognition

Two updates in one night! Huzzah! This one's a bit short, sorry. I'll post more soon though, promise!

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Animagi and Recognition

The weeks passed quietly for Artemis. She was hoping dearly that the Marauders had forgotten about her after their first prank. It had been about four and a half weeks, and nothing had happened to her again. She was grateful. A small part of her hoped that maybe Remus asked them to stop, but Artemis knew better. Remus might be the sensible Marauder, but he alone would not be able to stop Potter and Black, even if he wanted to. Artemis kept on her toes however. She knew that the Marauders were probably trying to make her feel like she was safe again, and would only then pounce on her.

Defense Against the Dark Arts made things increasingly difficult for her. Over the past few weeks, Artemis and Remus had been working together as they had been assigned on silent enchantments. Artemis was capable of this advanced spellwork. She had practiced like crazy after the first incident with Professor Shannon, and now used silent spells for everyday things such as summoning. When she was in class however, she couldn't seem to make her mind work. She would focus on the spell, and let the magic flow through her. But when she looked at her target…when those amber eyes struck her own…she knew she was playing a losing game.

Remus Lupin was on her mind even when she didn't want it to be. She found herself stealing glances at him during classes, or listening to snippets of conversation about it. She was become more and more smitten with him when he would smile at in Defense class and encourage her when she failed to produce a satisfactory spell. People began to talk about her, saying she was a Squib to make fun of her, but Artemis didn't even notice at this point. She needed to get Remus off her mind, to focus.

Artemis found it surprisingly difficult to avoid Remus, however. He tended to be in all of her favorite secluded parts of the school. He was everywhere: the tree up against the north east side of the castle, facing the lake; the back end of the library; the Muggle literature section of the library; the large window in the Gryffindor common room. There seemed to be only two places that Artemis could go to avoid him. She could either hide in her dormitory, which she often did, or she could stow away to the Astronomy Tower. The latter, she usually reserved for the night, such as this night in particular.

Artemis had consulted her moon charts, and knew that this night was that of the full moon. A month had past since the first full moon where Artemis had seen the werewolf wandering the campus grounds. All month, she had been thinking about the creature, wondering who it was. For a long time, she was convinced it was Severus Snape. He was a loner type, no one really liked him, and he seemed to make sure of it. Artemis thought maybe it was all a ploy for him to hide his true identity. But Snape had black hair, and this wolf's fur was of a much lighter color than that. It couldn't be Snape.

Regardless of whom it was, Artemis was excited to see it. She had made her way up to the Astronomy tower that night, wrapped tightly in her cloak, and sat in her customary spot, leaning against one of the columns. She sat there for about an hour, watching the moon rise into the sky. So far, nothing had moved onto the campus grounds, but Artemis was patient. She knew it would come. She could feel it.

Suddenly, she heard a howl from the distant forest, and watched as the trees swayed, as if something was flying out of them. Artemis knew about threstrals, even though she couldn't see them, and assumed they were flying out into the night air and away from what ever had made the noise. Wrapping her cloak around her more, she leaned forward as she saw the rustling in the forest grow closer to the open grounds. This was it. It was coming.

Sure enough, out of the trees came the large wolf, soon followed by the same large black dog, and the majestic stag. Artemis screwed up her eyes, trying to discern if there was another, smaller animal down on the grounds with them. A rat, or a squirrel of some kind was down there with them as well. Artemis was astounded. Why wasn't the werewolf ripping it to shreds? Surely, it was hungry.

This was such an adventurous pack of creatures. Artemis wondered how these animals could get along so well despite their differences. She spent the next two hours watching the quartet frolicking around. The four animals ran all around, at one point the stag rolling the dog into the smooth black lake, only for the giant Squid inside to push the dog back out. Artemis laughed out loud.

In that instant, the sound of her laughter spread through the open air, and reached the perked ears of werewolf. From the grounds, he looked up and around, finally closing in on the Astronomy tower, just as it had done a month before. The werewolf gazed up to see the girl laughing to herself, her long hair waving in the nighttime breeze. The moon seemed to make her light blonde hair glow, and reflected off her pale skin. The wolf was astounded. This person was so beautiful to him. He knew he was human, he knew he wasn't truly wolf, but when he was wolf he found he didn't recognize the humans that he knew in real life. He couldn't remember them that well, he only felt hunger, or anger, or in some occasions, lust towards them. Carnal emotions.

The wolf was always grateful for his friends. He knew the dog, the stag, and the rat. He knew they were human friends. As a wolf, he couldn't think of their names, but he knew their scents better than anything, and that helped him draw a connection to their human counterparts, because these other animals were not truly animals, but Animagi.

The wolf could not place this human, whose laughter sounded so enchanting in the night wind. He could not force his brain to make her face clear to him. But he knew that she was beautiful, and stopped his running to stare at her. He howled into the air again, hoping to draw her attention. Sure enough, the girl leaned over the edge of the balcony, her hair flowing down the sides of the castle as she placed her head on her arms. She saw him. She was looking at him. That made him feel all the more human.

The group of Animagi had continued to run around, the dog sopping wet, but they all stopped when their friend the wolf called out. Once again, they followed his eyes only find themselves looking at the girl in the Astronomy Tower. While the wolf was unable to place the girl, the Animagi could. The dog and the stag looked at one another. Artemis Titus. It was Artemis Titus.

Artemis saw the other animals look up at her, but did not sink down as she had done at the previous full moon. This time she let them see her, even though she was fixated on the wolf below. Suddenly, however, the wolf was being beckoned by the dog. Artemis and the furry creature broke contact, and the stag, dog, and smaller animal all made frantic movements back towards the forest. The wolf looked back up at Artemis one more time, before following them back and away into the forest.


	9. Plans and the Unplanned

"We have got a problem, mates."

James Potter was pacing. Strutting through the middle of the sixth year boys' dormitory, he looks completely frazzled. Seated on his plush four post bed was Sirius, leaning against one of the four posts. On the floor leaning against his trunk was Peter, sitting with his knees pulled up near his head. All three boys looked incredibly tired, with bags under their eyes. The sun hadn't risen just yet, but the sky outside their window was becoming increasingly brighter. Class was going to start soon, but none of them cared. This breach of privacy far outweighed being late to History of Magic.

James continued his pacing, running a hand through his hair this time out of anxiety, rather than to impress a girl. This was a serious problem.

"There's a chance that she didn't see," began Peter, but Sirius scoffed.

"Honestly, Wormtail, you can be so thick," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "He ws howling at her, and we saw her looking right back. She saw him, and all of us." Sirius laid back on his bed with a small "oomph!" noise. "The question is, does she know he was a werewolf."

"Let's hope not," James said, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. The night had been going so well. They had chased some deer, played by the lake. Remus even seemed to understand who they were that night. Every month was getting easier; he was always getting farther away from his normal werewolf instincts. Remus knew he was really human now, which helped so much during his time in furry form. They didn't need Artemis Titus setting them back.

"Even if she did see us though, how could she know? He looks like a wolf…" Peter protested softly. He just didn't seem to understand the issue here.

"It depends on how well she could see from there, Pete," James contended, leaning back against one of the wardrobes. "If you can see his eyes, if you can see the length of his tail. There are lots of ways to tell the difference between real and were."

"Not to mention," Sirius quipped, sitting back up, "it looks a bit odd too see a wolf gallivanting around with a stag, and dog, and a rat. A real wolf would be ripping James to shreds."

"That's true," James noted, nodding his head. "How long do you think she was watching?"

"I dunno mate, but either way, it was entirely too long. She shouldn't have seen us at all," Sirius said, gruffly. "And Artemis Titus, of all the worms out there, it had to be her."

"You think Snape told her?" Peter piped up, looking hopeful that he had added something significant the argument.

James and Sirius shared glances. This was entirely possible. They hated Snape and Artemis, and those slime balls hated the Marauder's back. It made total sense for the two to be working together.

"What's his motive, though?" James asked, finding an issue.

"Does Snivellus need one? Anything to get back at us," Sirius spat. James looked unconvinced.

"No, no, he would have a reason to tell her. Snape might not like Dumbledore, but he'll keep to his promise about not spilling," he insisted, though with a puzzled look on his face. "Even if he did tell her, why would she go and watch? And I mean, she wasn't trying to get us in trouble…"

"But Prongs, now she has something against us!" Sirius pointed out, jumping off his bed and onto his feet. He was getting heated just at the thought. "We never prank Titus, then we pull that bit last month. She finds out some dirt on us from her Slytherin confidant, and then acts like nothing is wrong. She never told McGonagall about the prank, and she's been acting all shy in Defense class while she's sparring with Remus."

Sirius looked like he had just solved a murder case. This epiphany was waking him up more than any amount of coffee could. He was onto her case, and could feel adrenaline running through him at the thought of catching her.

"So," he continued with fervor, "she waits until the full moon, and watches us. She did something to catch Moony's attention, because she wanted us to know that she was onto us. So that we think we're wrapped under her finger! It all fits together, mate!"

James had listened through this whole bit, and had to admit, it sounded completely possible. Why else would she have been watching them? James nodded, agreeing with Sirius.

"You're right, it does," James said, scratching the back of his head. This complicated things. He did not enjoy the thought of being at Artemis Titus' mercy. But what could they do? Keeping Remus' secret was essential, and if Artemis Titus wanted to hang that over their heads…

"We can go to Dumbledore," he proposed, his hair sticking up in every which way. "He made Snape keep his promise, and he can make Artemis keep quiet."

"Artemis Titus has no respect for Albus Dumbledore," Sirius said, scoffing. "If she's anything like her family or mine, then she despises him. Dumbledore stands for everything that Pureblood-looneys hate. There's no guarantee that it would work."

James stood defeated, knowing that Sirius was right. They didn't know Artemis at all, and didn't know how she'd react. The trio stood there, silent and unsure of what to do next.

"We could make her keep her mouth shut," was a sudden reply from the floor. Sirius and James looked down at their usually quiet friend. Peter Pettigrew's face had something they never expected to see on it: a smirk. Sirius and James exchanged looks, before returning their gaze.

"What do you mean, Pete?" Sirius asked, crossing his arms. Peter's smirk grew into a strange grin; the look didn't suit his face.

"We make her stay quiet," Peter repeated, standing up to be level with his friends. "We break her. She thinks that she has something on us, but if there's one thing that type of person can't stand, it's an attack on their pride, their dignity. Remember that one kid, Khall? We pulled a prank on him in front of the whole school at the Quidditch match third year. They kid never said a word to us again."

"Actually, his mother took him out of Hogwarts for it, if I remember," James said, cringing a bit at the memory. They had transfigured his clothes into snakes. Midair. In retrospect, it wasn't a good idea, but the kid did never bother them again. "Won't that be a little too far though, making her naked in public?"

"A Marauder never repeats a prank of this magnitude," Sirius said, now smirking as well. He liked where this was going. If they humiliated Titus enough, she would bend to their will, and know not to say anything about Remus. "She can't know that we're doing this though, we have to act like we don't know anything."

"Exactly. So, when the moment comes," Peter continued the sentence, getting a gleeful expression, "it's even worse for her."

James stood there, unsure of what to think. This could end very badly. If they got back at Artemis, then she could break…but she could also be stronger willed than they think. She might find their attack as a reason to share her knowledge about Remus. That would be crippling.

"Come on, Prongs, just think about it," Sirius begged, putting a hand on his best mate's shoulder. "We're doing this to help Moony. It's the best way." James looked at his two friends, and thought it through in his mind. Looking up, he finally said, "We're gonna have to make it really good. And no one tells Remus, got it? He wouldn't approve."

"Deal," the other boys cheered. And it was settled. They would have their revenge on Artemis Titus.

Artemis sat in her bed, wide awake as the boys were talking only a hallway over. She couldn't sleep, her mind was racing. The werewolf had seen her, actually seen her that time. And so had its forest friends, that was for sure. The dog had seemed like it didn't want the wolf to be exposed, like it was hiding it from her sight when the four animals all rushed away into the woods. Artemis found this behavior to be increasingly strange, but she didn't care. She just wanted to know who the werewolf was.

Rolling over in her bed, she looked out the window at the sky, which was turning from dark blue to orange. Class was going to start soon, double History of Magic (she would most likely die of boredom at that point), break for lunch, and then Defense Against the Dark Arts. She stopped thinking about the werewolf and let her mind wander to Remus Lupin. She had given up on lying to herself about it; she was smitten with the boy, regardless of the fact that he would rather drink Stinksap than even think about her in that way. But the thought of seeing him in classes today made her smile.

Remus had been incredibly kind to her in the last month, what with being dueling partners and all. On the few times she had attended breakfast in the Great Hall, he had acknowledged her. Just by looking at her, she knew that someone was acknowledging her, and it was something to look forward to. Artemis' smile grew. Even if the boy would never like her like that, at least she knew he saw her. She wasn't completely invisible for once.

The Halloween Hogsmeade trip had been a topic of immense excitement for many of the upperclassman, and finally the day at come. Butterbeer would be shared, perhaps a stop at Honeydukes to fill up on sweets, and a daring go at the Shrieking Shack, which really only started shrieking a few years back. Hogwarts was abuzz for the first trip outside the castle of the year.

Even Artemis. Sure, she never really went with anybody, but it was nice to get out of the castle here and there. Artemis absolutely loved chocolate as well, and a stop at Honeydukes was a definite must. She lightly smiled to herself as she bundled herself up for the day, wrapping her Gryffindor scarf around her neck lightly. Her scarf was new; her last three had been stolen, along with other house related clothing items that belonged to her. Her fellow housemates seemed to think that she had no right to display Gryffindor pride. It was alright though, she always ended up getting another. Pulling some boots on and slinging a small bag across herself, Artemis was ready to meet the day.

Remus Lupin was not. Usually the first one up in the morning, he still lay in bed, dreaming deeply. The others around him were loudly breaking out their jumpers and jovially talking about their planned adventures for the day, but Remus took no mind. He was dreaming about someone that he had seen before, but couldn't completely put the image together. In fact, he wasn't even seeing anything. He was simply hearing something; laughter. A young woman was laughing in his mind. The sound of it was so familiar to him, and even in his sleep, he was urging himself to remember. This sound was making him feel so warm. He longed for its origins. Where was this sound from, and why wasn't he able to place a face to it?

Remus' unconscious didn't get a chance to respond; instead, a goose feathered pillow made direct contact with the young werewolf's face, waking him instantly.

"Oi! Moony! Get your arse up, yeah?" yelled Sirius, who was leaning against the door impatiently. He had a date with the new line of products at Zonko's, and under no circumstances was he going to miss it. Of all the people to own these new products, the Marauders should always have first picks. James and Peter were already dressed as well.

Remus just groaned instead, pulling the feathered pillow over his face to block out light and sound. Or at least, this sound; he desperately wanted the other one back, the laughter. The others simply wouldn't have this.

"_Levicorpus!"_ cried James, and Remus' eyes shot open just moments before his entire body was yanked forcibly into the air, leaving him dangling by his left ankle. The others howled with laughter, and James simply smiled. Remus gave them all a death glare, as his sandy hair stood on end upside down.

"You have got to be bloody killing me!" Remus whined, in a cranky mood already. The next full moon was only in a few days, and he was already a tad bit irritable.

"You asked for it, mate," James replied in a friendly tone as if nothing at all were odd about this situation. With a flick of his wand, Remus fell back onto his bed, and the comfort of his sheets. "Now you getting up, or not?"

"Go ahead with out me, I'll meet you lot at the Three Broomsticks or something," Remus groaned, running a hand over his face as he yawned.

"Fine by me, let's go gents!" Sirius said in a hurry, already out the door in his eagerness. Peter followed suit, but James hung in the doorway.

"You sure, Moony? I can wait if you want…" James offered, the good friend that he was. Remus started up, almost taking the offer, before he thought of the laughter again from his dream.

"No, don't worry about me, James," he replied, looking at James rather than speaking through his pillow. "I could just use another hour or so."

"If you're sure, mate."

As James closed the door behind him, Remus smiled and buried his face into his pillow again deeply. Alone at last.

A few hours later, a brisk wind was making Artemis wish she had brought a heavier cloak. It was only October, so there was no hope for snow for at least a few more weeks, but Scotland was definitely working its way up there. The air bit her face, causing her cheeks to become rosy, as well as the tip of her nose. She was probably going to have to stop by the Hospital Wing for a Pepper Up Potion, for sure.

She had only been at Hogsmeade for two and a half hours, but already she had made all of her usual stops. She had enjoyed some Butterbeer a the Three Broomsticks, made a very short stop at Zonko's, immediately turning herself around when she saw three of the four Marauders there, and made a visit by the Shrieking Shack. The house had become more and more dilapidated over the years, she honestly wondered why no one just demolished it and built a new one. Excellent property, she thought, right at the edge of the village. Of course, everyone said it was because of the ghosts that lived there, but honestly, had anyone seen one of these ghosts?

She left when a few Ravenclaws had come up hand in hand, giving her a scowl as they approached. They looked like a couple, no less. Artemis took her hint to get lost, and made her way back into the village for her final stop: Honeydukes.

The moment she stepped in the door, Artemis was filled with a certain joy. The store was so brightly decorated, bright colors donning the walls and wrappers. Artemis was in no mood for Acid Pops or that sort. She had one thing on her mind, and that was Honeydukes famous chocolate bars. Of course, she stocked up on her fair share of Chocolate Frogs as well, as she thought the enchantment was amusing at times, but most of her Knuts and Sickles went to a handful of chocolate bars that would hold her over until the next trip. Artemis softly thanked the clerk, and made her way out, and back to the castle.

Not many students were leaving the village so soon after they had arrived, so Artemis trudged on by herself, not sure whether to be upset about another lonely trip, or to be glad that she hadn't been pranked again or made fun of. She decided on the latter as the wind suddenly sent a gust her way, sending her hair into a frenzy. Attempting to push it out of her eyes, Artemis tripped on a stone, resulting in her falling to her knees, and her bag of candy to go flying.

"Honestly, can't even bloody walk," she muttered to herself as she pushed herself up and brushed her knees off. Looking up to pick up her scattered sweets, Artemis let out a small gasp.

Remus Lupin had just walked into her view, and had seen the entire incident. He now stood directly in front of her with an amused smile on his face, his sandy hair blowing in the wind. Artemis felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment. He must have thought it was might hilarious, seeing her fall like that.

"You alright there?" he asked her in a neutral tone; at least he wasn't openly taunting her, Artemis figured. Artemis simply nodded, keeping her gaze low. Remus chuckled to himself at her shyness. He would have to work to get a word out of her. "So I see you made it to Honeydukes…"

Artemis' eyes widened as she realized that all of her candy was strewn about the ground around them, and it was quite a bit of candy. She realized that she must look like a cow atop all other things, and quickly dropped back down to her knees to begin picking the candy up. Perhaps if she just didn't make any eye contact he would leave…

"_Blast…"_Artemis thought, as she saw him also crouch down to help her pick up her chocolates.

"A bit of a chocolate fiend, are you?" Remus asked playfully, hoping to illicit a response. Artemis' mouth twitched, followed by another single quick nod. Remus was enjoying himself now, wondering what would get her to peep. "Same here, actually. I never thought I'd meet another person who couldn't live without three solid pounds of chocolate…"

Artemis couldn't help but smile at this remark. Indeed, she felt the same way. She looked up and met his eyes, just to see he was smiling right back at her. Those amber eyes caught her up again, pulling her into a mold that she wouldn't be able to break. Artemis felt her face get flushed, and hoped that he wouldn't notice. Artemis was glad the wind was still blowing heavily, pushing stands into her line of sight and blocking his. Remus scooped up her last candy bars, and helped her stuff them back into her bag. The two of them stood up, silently, and just stood there.

"Why are you heading up so early? It's barely one, just now," Remus asked her softly, genuinely curious. What would be the point of going to the castle already?

Artemis opened her mouth in an attempt to answer, but stopped mid-breath. Was he teasing her? Knowing that she had no one to spend time with, so she was retreating back to the castle? A pained look crossed her face momentarily, and it did not pass Remus by. He instantly realized his mistake, and hurried to fix it, lest she think he was trying to insult her.

"I just meant, would you like to go and grab a Butterbeer or something? We need to work on that essay for Shannon, anyway," Remus proposed, hoping that he had perhaps fixed it. He wanted to give Artemis a chance, and understand her. He wasn't sure if she was who Sirius claimed that she was, and he was willing to put down a few Sickles to find out more about her.

Artemis just stood there, her eyes wide, unsure of what to say. He was asking to spend time with her. Was this a joke? Artemis looked for some sort of misleading factor in his face, but only found honesty. Perhaps it was a secret Marauder trick? But he was right, they did need to work on that essay for Defense class…

"Well," she answered in a soft voice that was barely there above the wind. Mentally, Remus patted himself on the back. He had gotten her to speak. "I guess I could-"

"OI! MOONY! TAKE ANY LONGER AND WE'LL START LOOKING LIKE DUMBLEDORE!" called out an all to familiar voice from down the hill. Artemis stopped midsentence and didn't even bother to look back to know who was making their way up to them.

"I need to go," Artemis muttered to Remus quickly, taking her belongings and moving away quickly before Sirius and the other Marauders caught sight of her. Pulling her scarf a little tighter, she began walking away even as Remus began to ask her to wait. Before she had walked very far though, she turned to glance at Remus dead in the eye. "By the way, thank you, for helping me," she said in a more normal leveled voice than she had ever used around him, and gave him the smallest of smiles. And then, she was gone.

Remus just stood there, watching her walk away as his best friends approached.

"Hey Moony, where've you been?" James asked, clapping a hand on his mate's shoulder. Remus was pulled out of his thoughts, and faced his friends.

"Oh, uhm. Just slept in a bit. Sorry I'm late," he said lightly, although his friends had already forgiven his tardiness and moved on to their plans for the day. As the foursome made their way down the hill, Remus just smiled to himself. He had gotten her to speak, after all.


	10. Interactions

Hogsmeade had been unbearable embarrassing for Artemis. When she returned back to the castle, she had fled to the library, which she knew would be completely empty other than for first and second years that were afraid of her based on reputation. She had found her usual table, and sat down, letting her mind wonder. What a day it had been. The past few weeks had been filled with run ins with Remus Lupin and the Marauders. Artemis wasn't completely surprised by this; after all, they were all same year Gryffindors. Still, she felt uneasy with all the sudden interaction with them. She wasn't used to the constant confrontation.

Artemis had spent the past five years alone. No one spoke to her, no one approached her, no one acknowledged her. And now…

_Remus Lupin just asked me to the Three Broomsticks with him…_ Artemis wasn't thick. She was well aware of the fact that it wasn't a him asking her on a date. No, she was more concerned over the fact that Remus Lupin had spoken to her at all. He had been in her classes, her year this whole time. Why was he talking to her now? Was it because they were Defense Against the Dark Arts partners? It was true, they had to work together in class often, and were now assigned an out of class essay together, but other than that? Lupin had no need to talk to her at all. She was surprised he hadn't offered to just write one half and have her write the other. Most of the other partners were doing that, even the ones that were sociable.

No, Remus Lupin had taken time to talk to her. To help her. He had offered to spend time with her when he clearly had better things to do.

Artemis didn't know what was going on, but her concern slowly started to fade as a new feeling started ebbing at her. Excitement. Maybe he was being sincere.

_Maybe he doesn't hate me, _Artemis thought, a small smile coming to her face at the mere idea of it. _Maybe…no. _The idea came and went. He was friends with Sirius, with James, who strongly hated Artemis. Remus couldn't stand much farther. Her smile fell as she stared out the window, wondering about the thoughts of Remus Lupin.

"Alright you lot, alright, you can start putting your things away," called out Professor Shannon, signaling the class that the period was about over. Remus and Artemis lowered their wands, as the class had been practicing more defensive spells with their partners. Remus offered Artemis a smile as they headed back to their seats, Artemis near a corner, and Remus over by his mates. His fellow Marauders were howling with laughter, as Peter Pettigrew was trying to change his fingernails back to nail rather than wood.

"Alright," Shannon said, looking at his hourglass that measured the class periods. "You can leave a bit earlier today. Pettigrew, check in with Madame Pomfrey, eh? Denton? Check before you just attack, alright? You can't keep starting before your partner's ready."

The class sprung to their feet, groups leaving together jovially. Artemis stood and slung her bag across herself, and picking up her books.

"Ah, Mr. Lupin, Miss Titus, could I get a word?" Professor Shannon called right before Artemis could make it out the door. Artemis took in a breath. She knew what this would be about; she still was having trouble doing her silent spell work with Remus. She wished she could show Shannon that she was capable outside of class. But how do you explain to your professor that the fact you're smitten with your partner is throwing you off?

She turned around to see Remus telling his mates to go ahead with out them. The rest of the Marauders made their way towards the door, with Sirius knocking his shoulder into Artemis' so that her bag fell off of it, scattering a few of her possessions on the floor. Artemis didn't show any response, which put Sirius off a bit. If he was going to mess with someone, he wanted a reaction. Artemis simply waved her wand and spoke an incantation that put all of her things back in order, and picked up her bag again. Remus and Professor Shannon stood at the front of the classroom, waiting for her.

"Now, you two have been working together on these spells for the past few weeks," Professor Shannon began, leaning against his desk. "And while I know that the two of you can do the spells you've been taught, I've noticed that you, Miss Titus, have been having some trouble doing those spells silently, is that right?"

Artemis nodded, despite the fact that she was fully capable of the spell work. Professor Shannon continued.

"Alright. Well, Miss Titus, your practical exams at the end of the year will require you to be able to do those spells with ease. Now, Mr. Lupin," the professor looked towards the sandy haired boy. "You seemed to have gotten this down pat. Now, from what your previous years reports have said Miss Titus, you have always been top of your class. I think the best course of action to help you improve is for Mr. Lupin, who is now top of this particular class, to tutor you outside of the classroom."

Artemis' eyes widened. Remus? Tutor her? She inwardly groaned; Remus was the whole reason she got into this mess anyway! Spending more time with him would do nothing but distract her further! But to admit that would be unacceptable; how pathetic would that look to a teacher, telling them their failure was the result of a school girl crush?

Remus looked to Artemis and soaked in her reaction. He wasn't sure how she felt about this. Her eyes were wide, which they seemed to be when she was in an uncomfortable situation. He too had noticed her strange struggle. He knew that she was one of, if not the, smartest witches in their year. This spell work shouldn't be that difficult for her. None the less, he was mildly pleased for this arrangement. How better to get to know the girl, and to understand her, than to have tutoring sessions with her?

"If Artemis will have me, I'd be happy to tutor her," Remus finally said, looking directly at Artemis as he spoke. Professor Shannon looked please.

"Alright then!" he said, clapping his hands together. "Is this alright with you, Miss Titus?"

Remus started at her, watching as she stared at her feet. He longed to know what she was thinking, what was running through her mind. Sirius would probably say that she was upset about having to with 'filth' like him; but Remus didn't see disgust on Artemis' face. He saw worry, more than anything. She was biting her lip, staring down at the floor.

"Miss Titus?" Professor Shannon prompted again, causing Artemis to look up again. She merely nodded, with a defeated look on her face. Remus wasn't sure what the origins of that feeling were, but he was happy that she was at least willing to work with him. "Splendid!" cried Professor Shannon, who stood up straight again. "Now you two can work it out between you when and where you'll meet and all that, and I'll see you next class, right?"

Artemis and Remus gathered their things and headed out of the door together. Artemis turned to head toward the library, thinking that Remus would most likely head towards the Great Hall to meet with his mates and eat. She was wrong. He hurried up once he saw where she was heading, and then fell into step with her.

"So, Artemis, when are you free to meet during the week? Do you have a specific day you want to meet on?" Remus asked her politely. Artemis bit her lip again, and shrugged her shoulders, continuing to walk. Remus furrowed his brow, and continued beside her. "Well, do you have to go to any clubs during the week?" At this, Artemis simply shook her head, opening the door to the library and walking in. Remus trailed behind.

"So, you're free…every night?" Remus asked, a bit surprised. Artemis lead him to a table near the Charms section, and sat down. Once she was seated, she looked up at him, and nodded. She had a strange expression on her face, as if this information was haunting her. "Alright then," Remus said, pulling out a planner, as well as his ink and quill. She opened to the current month, and looked over his usual list of duties as a prefect, and his assorted plans with his fellow Marauders. He saw a few days that he was open during the week. "How we work together on Tuesd—"

"Look, Remus," suddenly came a small voice. Remus looked up from his planner to see Artemis staring at the table. He knew that the voice had come from her, so soft and tiny. She took a breath, and continued, lightly poking at a chipped piece of the wooden corner of the table. "You don't have to do this, if you have things that you'd rather be doing."  
Artemis began chipping at the table with her fingernail, still avoiding eye contact. "I know you're usually busy with your mates, and with studies and all. I understand; not many people would offer to throw away their time with me."

Remus was quiet for a moment, simply watching her. Her body and shoulders were a bit crouched over, like she wasn't sure what to do with herself. She was blinking a lot, but keeping her head low so that he couldn't see her eyes clearly. He had noticed that she was a very quiet person; over the past few weeks he'd seen in classes that when spoken to, Artemis rarely responded verbally. He had instead seen that she always tried to answer things with a nod, or a look. He was surprised and pleased whenever he heard her using her voice. And once again, it seemed like her conversations with him were some of the longest verbalizations that she made in a regular day. Remus tilted his head slightly to get a better view of her. She noticed his movement, and looked up.

Those amber eyes were analyzing her. She felt like he was reading her, or trying to solve the end of a puzzle. He had a curious look on his face, and she tried to look down, but found herself unable to once more. She stopped chipping at the table, and put her hands back into her lap, her fingers lacing and unlacing with one another in anxiety. She was waiting for him to accept this, and leave her be. She almost thought she was imagining it when she heard his next words.

"Artemis," Remus began, shaking his head lightly, "I don't mind; I'm fine with tutoring you." He chuckled, and said, "It's not like you're torturing me into this."

His laugh was husky, just like his voice had been in the hospital wing while he was ill. Artemis' insides fluttered at the sound. She rose at eyebrow at his statement, clearly telling him that she thought that was ridiculous.

"Look, if you're uncomfortable with me tutoring you, I'll understand that," Remus stated, wondering if perhaps that was the issue. Perhaps she was embarrassed. Artemis shook her head, however, giving him a look that told him that she wanted to explain to him. "Then what is it?" Remus asked her, not sure whether she would reply or not.

Artemis sighed, and shook her head to tell him, 'Nothing'. Remus continued to stare at her, hoping he'd get her to speak again; instead, Artemis broke eye contact with him, and stared at her hands. Remus stared at them too, unsure of what to say next. They had sat there for a few moments in awkward silence.

"Tuesdays would be fine for me," Artemis finally said, in her usual barely there voice. The second she started speaking, Remus smiled again. He had gotten her to do it again! "Is 6 o'clock alright?"

"6 o'clock is perfect," Remus replied, grabbing his quill again. "Is Flitwick's room alright? It's the biggest when you move all of the desks."

Remus didn't even mind when she went back to simply nodding for this response. He was just glad that she was on board. He didn't know why, but as he neatly wrote in their now weekly appointment, he couldn't but feel curiously excited. He had heard nothing but bad things about this girl; it was time to explore the girl who was Artemis Titus on his own.

"You have to do _what_?"

The Marauders were all seated together in the Great Hall, three out of four of them having only reminiscent crumbs left on their plates. Remus had only arrived to lunch a few minutes earlier, and had filled the others in on what had transpired. Naturally, at the news that one of their fellow Marauders was going to be spending a great deal of time with one Artemis Titus, Sirius felt outraged.

"What does Shannon think he's playing at? She's probably been acting like she can't figure the spells out in order to get you alone and hex you!" Sirius wildly accused, grabbing a bit more food, and starting on what was left of the fish and chips. "Honestly, Moony, you just keep getting the short end of the stick with this hag…"

"Shannon asked me to help her," Remus offered, shrugging it off, and taking small bites of his turkey sandwich. "It's just one night a week."

"Yeah, one night a week for her to work on jinxing you!" Sirius argued, unceremoniously shoving food into his mouth. "Ann efin den…yoo ahh loffin ot un panken…"

"Padfoot, I didn't know you spoke Troll," James joked, winking at Remus. Sirius swallowed heavily, took a sip of pumpkin juice, and repeated himself.

"I said, 'And even then, you are losing out on pranking."

"If you mean losing out on more chances of getting into detention, then maybe Artemis is doing me a favor," Remus joked, causing James and Peter to laugh. Sirius just shook his head disapprovingly.

"Just watch yourself, okay, mate? And get rid of her as soon as you can," he said with one final huff, before digging back into his food. Remus didn't respond, but looked around, hoping that Artemis hadn't walked in to hear such a disparaging conversation. The boys sat until the end of the lunch period, before heading off to their classes. As Remus stood to leave, he noticed that Artemis had never come to eat. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen her in the Great Hall for a meal. He headed off to Potions, his head swirling with the mystery that was Artemis.

Artemis wasn't sure what to do. It was ten minutes to six, and she stood shifting weight from one foot to the other in front of the Charms classroom. Professor Flitwick had left it open, and she could just go in and wait for Remus there. The problem was, she was still trying to decide whether she really wanted to do this, or if she wanted to just book it out of there. She was so unsure of herself when Remus was around. She was used to her invisible lifestyle. She didn't know what to do when someone started noticing her, even if it were for only educational purposes. Remus Lupin was doing something that no one had done for her in a long time: he was being kind to her.

_Incredibly kind, considering who he is friends with_, Artemis thought sadly. She wasn't stupid. She saw the heighted glares that she had received all week for Sirius Black. The other Marauders did not like this arrangement where she took Remus away from them. They didn't like the idea of their friend having to deal with someone like her. At times she thought that they were being unfair for her; they still saw her as she was in first year. They never thought that maybe she wasn't the same person as she was then. She realized that this was stupid of her to think. She had done nothing to prove them wrong. She had been a coward to not speak her mind that night in second year when she tried to apologize for all of the terrible things she had said and done. She had let her words get caught in her tongue.

She couldn't question it. This treatment was her fault.

Why then was Remus Lupin being so kind to her? She knew that he was a generally nice guy, of course. But she had seen him around Slytherins, like Snape, and Goyle. He wasn't always nice around his enemies. So, if she was enemy to the Marauders, then why was he being so generous with her?

Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps approaching her. Artemis looked up to see Remus approaching.

"Ready to get started?" Remus asked, opening the Charms room door for her. Artemis nodded in her usual way, entering the room. The desks had been pushed back and out of the way by Professor Flitwick for them ahead of time. She set her bag onto one of the desks, and removed her robe so it wouldn't get in her way. Remus did the same, and set it down next to hers. In the corner stood the pile of practice mats that were set out for them. The two of them set up their mats, and drew their wands.

"Alright, so, let's just start simple," Remus suggested, standing in front of his mat. "You have been able to do a few spells silently, so let's just give the simple ones a go. Disarming Spell first, okay?"

Artemis nodded, in a subdued way. She was able to do this spell with ease. She couldn't stand the fact that a boy distracted her so much. The two of them took their stances, wands at the ready, and Artemis focused her mind.

_I will disarm him. His wand will go flying out of his hand_, Artemis told herself, imagining the action in her mind. She looked at his wand, gripped tightly in his hand. She could do this. She thought of the wand flying in the air, and the look on Remus' face…Remus' face…_No! No_…the wand would go flying…from Remus' hand…Remus…_Ugh, focus!...Expelliarmus!_

Artemis thought the incantation, and twirled her wand and…Remus' wand twitched in his hand. Artemis sighed loudly. This was going to be a long night.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Let's just try it again," Remus offered supportingly. The two returned to their stances. "Just focus on the action that will happen. It's the same as saying it, and I know you can do that."

Artemis nodded, and focused on the wand. She shoved Remus' face out of her mind, and thought only of the wand in his hand. _Stop acting like a bloody idiot! , _she told herself. _You aren't some tart who doesn't know her left from right! Just do it already!_

_Expelliarmus! s_he thought, shouting in her mind, as she twirled her wand yet again. Remus' wand exploded from his hand and soared across the room, and to Artemis' feet. Remus clapped his hands.

"Now that is more like it!" he said happily, walking over to retrieve his wand. Artemis bent down picking it up, and handed it off to him. Remus gave her a large smile, and walked back to his mat. "Alright. Again."

They continued on like this for about half an hour, where Artemis would struggle the first few goes at a spell, but then surge with power suddenly and succeed. She hated herself for appearing so incapable in front of Remus. He would invade her mind when she attempted to focus on her actions, but when she focused on not looking like a fool she was able to do the magic correctly. And hearing Remus praise her when she finally succeeded in casting the silent spells…well, it made shoving him out of her mind worth it.

Artemis felt herself smiling as she removed the Tickling Charm from Remus. He had been laughing hysterically, doubling over onto his mat. They figured that they would work with non-offensive and defense spells first, but rather spells that barely do any damage. Remus figured she just needed to get the hang of the spell work before they went into jinxes and couter-jinxes and the like.

"Okay…okay…" huffed Remus, as he stood back onto his feet, still clutching his stomach. "Let's…let's take a break, shall we?"

Artemis nodded with the smallest hint of a smile on her face, and the two of them walked over and sat on some of the desks near their things. Remus rummaged in his bag while Artemis looked down at her wand, lost in thought. She was doing a bit better. Expelliarmus had been easy; they had been using that spell for ages, and even with Remus on her mind, she had been able to perform the spell. The spells that followed had taken more time, five to six attempts. Remus' praise, while helpful, made Artemis mildly giddy, and made her think the boy over again. Remus had no idea of her internal struggle, of course, and had continued to warmheartedly encourage her. Eventually she started focusing in, and reigning in her desire for the boy she would never have.

Artemis was once again brought out of her reverie by Remus' voice.

"Want a piece?"

Artemis turned her head to see Remus was offering her a piece of chocolate, taken from a newly opened bar of chocolate. Artemis smiled a bit wider, and her eyes filled with light. She nodded wholeheartedly, and Remus chuckled as he passed the piece over to her. As Artemis bit off a small chunk of it, Remus leaned back against the wall, letting his feet hang over the side of the desk he sat on.

From there, he took Artemis in. He wasn't sure what to do from there, whether to try and strike up conversation or to just let her be. He resisted the urge to chuckle. If he didn't start a conversation, no one would.

"So, Artemis, tell me about yourself," Remus started off, watching as she spun around, startled at his voice. This time he couldn't help but chuckle. He seemed to catch her mid-thought. He watched as she tenderly pulled some hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She turned her eyes to him, as though she were searching for something. She shrugged at him, and gave him a questioning look. Remus sighed inwardly. _This was going to take some time._ "I mean, I just feel like we've gone to school together for so long, and yet no one seems to really know you."

Artemis gave him a knowing look. They both understood what her look implied; no one knew her because no one wanted to be within five feet of her.

"What I mean is—"

"Remus, you're a brilliant person," Artemis softly said, looking back down and away from him. "So don't be thick."

Remus nodded. She was right; he shouldn't try to skirt around the fact that she was pretty much a leper amongst the student body. He just didn't understand the strong emotions everyone seemed to have about her. He had seen her first year, he understood what everyone based it off of. But honestly, he just couldn't put the Artemis from first year and this Artemis together. It just seemed like they were utterly different people.

"Fair enough," Remus offered, sitting up straight and facing her. She kept her gaze down, the setting sun in the windows giving the room and orange glow. "I get why people are so upset with you. I know where it started. I just don't feel like the Artemis that everyone thinks they know is the person sitting in front of me."

Artemis snapped her head with a sharp look. Her expression was full of emotions, conflicting with one another. She opened hair mouth as though she might respond, but paused. Artemis was shocked at his words. Was he playing with her? Did he really feel that way about her? She didn't know what to say to him, what to think about his statement. What did he want her to say to him? She couldn't just open up and tell him that he was right, that she wasn't that girl. He would ask questions. He would want to know things, her reasons for changing. And those were things that Artemis didn't talk about, that she didn't even think about.

Remus watched the gears turning in her head, and saw her compose herself. She closed her mouth, and looked away from him. He thought maybe she would just act like she hadn't heard him, and would open up…When she opened her mouth and spoke, Remus was filled with a certain anticipation.

"Let's get back to work, it's getting late."

She moved off of the desk and walked back to her mat, taking out her wand, and turning to face him once more. Her face was set, and Remus knew that nothing would make it crack. Remus sighed to himself, and moved off the desk as well, returning to his position, resigned to the fact that Artemis Titus would not reveal her secrets that easily.


	11. Encounters of a Heroic & Sexual Variety

_A/N: Hey, thanks to all that have been reviewing! I know I don't update as often as I should, but I am working to make these a bit more consistent and frequent, okay? Enjoy the chapter! I know I did..._

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_Six weeks have passed, and things are getting both better and worse at the same time. On the one hand, I'm getting better at performing spells in Remus' presence. He's an absolutely brilliant tutor. Very patient, and very willing to help. It's lovely, really. He'd make an excellent teacher, should he ever wish to become one._

Artemis had decided to enjoy a chilly November afternoon outdoors. It looked like it would snow soon on the Hogwarts grounds, but she didn't mind it one bit. Artemis actually greatly enjoyed the cold weather. She loved layering her clothing, and being constantly bundled up. It was a comfort to her, knowing that while the plants around her were freezing and dying, she was warm under all of her garments.

She had actually taken her journal out with her. It was getting a bit on the late side, but Artemis didn't mind. She had decided to sit out by a tree that overlooked the Black Lake. The giant squid must have been cold as well, seeing as how the lake looked completely smoothed over. It was a beautiful sight. One that Artemis rarely enjoyed; this outdoors area was usually a hotspot amongst the more popular crowds at school, many Marauders and other assorted people that wouldn't welcome her into their ranks.

So, Artemis smiled as she wrote, her back leaning up against the worn bark. The tree seemed to lean in, almost as though it was meant to sit against.

_At the same time, the Marauders are looking more and more displeased with me taking Remus away. He had to cancel this week because Black and Potter pulled him away last second. And I mean _literally _pulled him away. Honestly, it's not like I'm poisoning the boy. I'm seriously freaking out over here. I know what happens to people that the Marauders don't like._

_And on top of that, Remus keeps asking me all of these questions. How my year has been going, what I think about this, what I feel about that, what my favorite meal is, favorite animal. I'm so confused. I get that he is probably just trying to make the tutoring sessions more comfortable, but he doesn't have to act like he likes me just because Shannon asked him to be my tutor. I understand that he and his lot despise me. It's sweet of him to try and not hurt my feelings, but if anything, I'm just getting thrown off by his kindness in contrast to his mates'._

_And when you think about it, the Marauders haven't pranked me since earlier this year. That couldn't possibly be the end of it, and Remus Lupin is still very much a Marauder. He could very well be asking me these questions to get info on me for them. Ugh, boys! I'm so confused. He seems so sweet, almost like he cares about what I think, or what I have to say. Why is he doing all of this? _

Artemis was startled by the loud ringing of the nightly bell, signaling that all students must return to the castle for dinner. Not expecting the bell, Artemis jumped, dropping her quill, which began to fly away in the chilly breeze.

"Bollocks!" she said quiet loudly, as she chased after it. It twirled in the evening air, twisting this way and that and staying just barely out of her reach. It continued its soft dance in the air, as it headed straight towards the lake. "No, no no no no!" Artemis said to herself, reaching for her feather but missing just by an inch. She pulled herself back, not wanting to fall into the freezing lake water, watching as her quill disturbed the surface, causing the smallest of ripples.

Sighing, resigned to the fact that she had lost, Artemis turned back around to retrieve her things. When she faced around, a yelp left her lips, and she stumbled backwards in surprise. Unbalanced, she closed her eyes preparing for her descent and fall into the lake.

Falling back, she suddenly felt two arms grip onto her, and pull her upright once more. A small familiar chuckle left the lips of her savior, the one who had startled her in the first place. Artemis almost didn't want to open her eyes to face him, but knew how ridiculous she would look. And so she opened her eyes, only to be met with the amber ones that were starting to haunt her.

"Bit clumsy, are we?" Remus teased, a keen smile on his face. He didn't even look a bit cold, regardless of the fact that he was only wearing a light cloak over his uniform. "Are you alright?"

Artemis nodded, blinking a few times in surprise. When had he gotten here? She stood there, waiting for his hands to leave her arms. When a silence came over the two, Remus realized his mistake, and finally freed her. Artemis gathered all of the Gryffindor courage that she had to look him in the eye. His eyes were glowing, with his amusement towards the situation.

"You know, I don't think I've ever heard you say something so loudly before," Remus continued to tease, in reference to her exclamation.

At that, Artemis smiled, and lightly chuckled. It was true, she usually didn't yell out like that. Remus walked with her as she returned to the tree where she began to pick up her things and tuck them away into her bag. As she turned around to face him again, he was happy to see that her smile hadn't gone away. In the past few weeks, he had been priding himself on being able to make her smile, talk, or chuckle. It was like a project of his to work on this girl until he felt like he really knew her. And that started off with getting her to like him. Sirius had made it sound like this girl was going to be hell on earth, but to be honest, Remus hadn't minded any of the time he had spent with her.

"Thank you, by the way," Artemis softly replied as she wrapped her cloak around herself tighter. "You seem to be helping me out quite a bit, lately."

"Nah, just right place right time," Remus replied, as the two of them began to trek back to the castle. "Anyone would have done the same."

Artemis' smile fell as she silently thought to herself how wrong he was. Remus didn't notice though, and continued.

"What are you doing out so late, this time of year. Bit cold, yeah?"

Artemis shrugged, but decided to reply verbally as well.

"Could ask you the same thing," she said, give him the once over. His cloak was looking a bit gray, and particularly thin. It wasn't usually one used at this time of year. "You're not even bundled up like me."

"The cold never really bothers me. I usually only break out the heavier cloaks and coats when the snow starts falling," Remus said, as they approached the castle doors. A breeze swept over the two of them, and Artemis pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were a bit red from the weather, and her hair was a little tousled due to the wind; James would have killed to have that happen naturally to him, rather than having to constantly run his fingers through his hair. Artemis' hair had just done it because of the wind. It made her look adorable, like someone who had been playing outside all afternoon. "So, what were you doing out so late?"

Artemis, pulling her cloak a bit tighter looked over at his eager face as they passed into the front entrance.

"I love the outdoors, I suppose," she mumbled simply. "I don't get outside as often as I'd like, but since no one was on the grounds I figured I'd—"

"Go out and explore yourself?" Remus finished, smiling now. He didn't know what it was about her, but he was beginning to love all of these conversations he had with her. It was like meeting someone completely new. He had gotten to know all of his classmates so well that getting to know Artemis was a breath of fresh air. This girl was unfamiliar, undiscovered, and he liked that about her.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The two of them continued walking, left to their own thoughts until they passed the doors to the Great Hall. Remus instinctively turned to head in, but halted as soon as he noticed that Artemis was no longer beside him. Turning his head, he noticed her heading towards the stairs, in the direction of the dormitories.

"Aren't you going to come to dinner?" Remus called after her, seeing her look over her shoulder at the sound of his voice.

"No," Artemis replied simply, turning back around and beginning to ascend the stairs. Remus now flew to the bottom of the stairs, and grabbed her hand before she got too far.

"Wait, why not?"

Artemis looked down at Remus' hand, which was lightly holding her wrist. It looked small in comparison to his large hands. She noticed he had some scratches on his knuckles, and that his skin was much tanner than her own. She also felt its warmth, as if it were comforting her. Gazing up, she had braced herself for what she knew would be there waiting for her. His eyes. Those orbs were looking at her waiting for her to reply, waiting on the first word to roll off of her tongue.

He wanted to know _why_. She didn't want to tell him. Instead, Artemis gave Remus the slightest hint of a shrug, and pulled away from him, continuing to climb the many staircases that would lead back to the Gryffindor tower, leaving Remus to wonder about their encounter once more.

"You are bloody losing it, mate."

Remus has been joined by the other Marauders not long after he had taken a spot at the Gryffindor table. He rolled his eyes at his friend once again finding the situation at hand to be unbelievable.

"You swear you didn't drink anything she gave you?" Sirius asked, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice before he continued. "Something that made your brain go all wonky?"

"Honestly, Sirius, she's not that bad," Remus stated for about the fiftieth time that week. He once again had shared with the others how his afternoon had gone, and mentioned his encounter with Artemis. Naturally, the others weren't too pleased. He was beginning to get frustrated with their lack of trust in his judgment. It wasn't like they knew her any better than he did.

"What was she even doing outside, all on her own?" James pondered with sincere curiosity. His voice wasn't nearly as malicious as Sirius'. He had taken everything that Remus had told them with a grain of salt; he trusted Remus wholeheartedly, and just figured that his friend was blind to Titus' tricks.

"Yeah! Bloody weird, if you ask me," Sirius added on, stuffing his face with a chicken leg once he finished his sentence. Remus rolled his eyes.

"I was outside alone, too, you know. Going for a walk, or just enjoying the outdoors isn't all that weird."

"Speak for yourself, mate," Sirius spat out in between bites. "Only good use for the outdoors is during Quidditch season."

At his James and Sirius bumped fists, both understanding each other on that topic. Remus just shook his head and smiled. Maybe it was time to stop bringing Artemis up with his mates. He knew that they didn't like her, but he couldn't help but enjoy her company. It seemed to bother them so much to hear about her spending time with him. He decided that he would just keep their budding friendship—or at least, what he hoped was a friendship—to himself.

She was waiting in the Charms classroom like normal, wondering why Remus was late. Staring at the clock on the stone wall, she hummed a tune to herself, sitting atop one of the many desks that had been pushed aside for their use of the room. He was already ten minutes late, which was highly unlike it. For some reason though, Artemis wasn't bothered by his lateness. She lay back on the desk, her legs dangling off the edge of it. As she rested her head against the hard wood, she turned and looked out the window.

It was beginning to snow. A smile came upon her lips, as she jumped up and rushed over to the window. Indeed, white flurries were making their way down onto the campus grounds, which were already beginning to be spotted with white. Artemis marveled at the beauty of it, planning out when she would go and play in it later on.

"How beautiful," said a husky voice, dangerously close to her ear. Artemis twirled around on the spot, only to be faced with her tutor. Remus had been in the hospital wing yet again earlier that week, and because of it, hadn't had the time to properly shave. Artemis took in the sight of his mildly stubbled face. He looked good with facial hair. It made him look wilier, more mysterious.

"Yeah, that snow is gorgeous," Artemis mumbled, although at this point she wasn't looking out the window any longer. She was noticing the distance between herself and Remus, or better yet, the lack thereof. He was standing unbelievably close to her, his scent filling her nose. Artemis blinked a few times, wondering what had possessed him to be so close to her. She also pondered why she was incredibly comfortable with it.

"No, I'm not talking about that," Remus said, that deep chuckle coming over him. His eyes were upon her, making her sink deeper and deeper. He lifted a hand to brush a strand of her long blonde hair out of her face so he could see it clearly. Her blue eyes were locked onto his, gazing up at him curiously. "I'm talking about your smile."

Artemis' eyes widened, and her face suddenly felt warm. She found the will to look down and away. Where did _that _come from? He had to be joking…

"I'm not joking," Remus replied, as though he could read her thoughts. He brought his hand up under her chin, and lifted her face so she was looking at him again. "You are so beautiful when you smile."

And with that his lips were upon her. Artemis nearly jumped out of her skin with shock, but as soon as she felt his arms wrap around her, she felt her eyes close. She had never been kissed before, and most certainly not like this. His kiss was strong, and supportive, as though his embrace was keeping her safe from everything. One hand cradled her cheek while the other was secure around her waist, pulling her ever closer to him.

Artemis was drowning in delight. His lips were so soft against her own, and his stubble tickled her face. She brought her arms up and around his neck, allowing her fingers to become tangled in his hair. Running his tongue across her bottom lip, Artemis understood his request. She granted him access, and suddenly their tongues were massaging one another, putting Artemis into a daze. This was amazing. This was beyond amazing. She felt a certain pull around her groin section at his every touch.

Remus turned Artemis around, still kissing her passionately, and led her over to the desks. Laying her back down as she was before he arrived, he crawled on top of her, and began moving his lips down Artemis' jawline and neck. He reached a certain tender spot on her neck that make Artemis moan loudly, and lightly buck her hips, which grinded against Remus' excitement. This elicited a deep groan from Remus, almost a low growl from the bottom of his throat. Artemis bit her lip in excitement, and repeated the motion, now knowing the response she would get.

"Artemis," Remus moaned her name into her ear, as their passion only grew. His breath in her eye nearly drove her over the edge, and hearing him say her name like that was mindblowingly attractive. She could just lie with him and do this forever, kiss him forever, _have him look at her like that forever…_

_SLAM._

That's when Artemis heard the dormitory door shut as Lily returned from her prefect patrol duties. Artemis' eyes jolted open, and looked at her surroundings in confusion. Disappointment settled in as she realized that the entire thing had been just a fantasy, and could never actually happen. How stupid of her, to dream such a thing. Artemis shuffled around in her bed, now incredibly turned on and unable to satisfy herself. She closed her eyes again in disdain. She couldn't believe she just had what was beginning to look like a sex dream about Remus Lupin. But then she smiled to herself.

Hey, if she couldn't have the real thing, there was no harm in dreaming about it…

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A/N: ...that was fun to write.


	12. Werewolves

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for such a huge gap between the updates. I'm coming to the end of my senior year in high school, and things have been a bit stressful in my life. I haven't had a lot of time to write, but the year is finally ending! So, here we go! Hope you enjoy it, and I'm going to try to update more! Promise!

The Christmas spirit was in the air at Hogwarts once more. As Artemis roamed the halls from class to class, she noticed a new holiday wreath placed over a doorway, or another large evergreen tree that Hagrid had pulled in from the forest. The Great Hall looked absolutely marvelous, especially due to the fact that the enchanted ceiling created the illusion that it was snowing inside. Yeah, the holidays were finally here.

The school was all abuzz about the upcoming feast before the winter break began, which would be the next night. Even Artemis was feeling the holiday spirit. She loved watching the snow fall from her perch in the Astronomy Tower, and personally couldn't wait for the break to begin. She would not be returning to her family's manor for the holidays, but rather staying at Hogwarts. While she wished she could spend the holidays with company, she preferred the loneliness to the hostility she felt at home. It wasn't like she would be any happier there.

So, she had a small smile on her face throughout the day, even after Peeves made her late to Defense Against the Dark Arts by throwing snowballs at her from inside the corridors. It didn't seem to bother her. It was Christmastime!

Artemis didn't get in any trouble when she was late, mostly due to the fact that Professor Shannon had granted them a free period to chat amongst themselves and do as they please. The class seemed perfectly content with this, breaking off into small groups to discuss holiday plans. Artemis just sat in her seat in the front row, sifting through the pages of the course textbook. She had found herself in the mystical creatures section, musing at the small pictures of hinkypunks and grindylows.

She turned the pages over once more, and now came face to face with a far more intriguing image: the section on werewolves. With everything that had happened in the past few weeks, what with the time she had spent with Remus, all of her courses, and worrying about the Marauders at every turn, Artemis had _almost_ forgotten about the furry friend she had discovered. Almost.

Now, as she glanced over the text in relation to the subject, Artemis' curiosity grew once more. She wondered for the millionth time who the werewolf on campus could be. It had to be a student of course; Dumbledore would never allow a member of the village onto school grounds to transform. No, it was a student. As Artemis read over the characteristics of the werewolf, she wished that she could meet this student, and let them know that they weren't alone. That she understood.

She had turned the page again to continue to read about laws involving werewolves, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Surprised, she jumped in her seat, and knocked her book of her desk, causing it to snap shut. Looking up with wide eyes, she saw Remus staring down at her with an amused smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Artemis, I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized, reaching down to scoop up her book off the floor and hand it to her. Artemis took it with a small nod of thanks, holding it close to her. "Although it looked like you were pretty absorbed. What were you reading about?"

Artemis thought about answering, but felt the eyes of other students trained on her. She looked around, realizing that some of the other girls in class were looking their way, curious to see why Remus was talking to _her_. Looking back at Remus, she just shrugged and shook her head to let him know it wasn't anything important. Remus seemed to understand.

"Fair enough," he remarked, the amused smile still on his face. Artemis thought that it made him look incredibly handsome. It softened some of the faint scars that he had on his face. For a split second Artemis wondered how he received those scars, but then she realized he was speaking again. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted to get together again today before break begins. You know, just to make sure you're still on track."

Artemis nodded, with a smile on her face. She had hoped he would ask to meet again, and was glad that he did. It saved her the embarrassment of asking him just for him to say no.

"Excellent. See you tonight then," he said, beginning to walk back to his mates, who were gazing over with curiosity and scorn. "Same time, same place?"

Artemis nodded again, enthusiastically, watching as Remus turned around completely and walked off. Artemis turned back in her seat to face forward again, reopening her book to the page she was on until the end of the class.

The Charms classroom was well lit that evening, and Artemis waited patiently for Remus to arrive. She had changed out of her robes already, not really caring that it was against school rules to wander about to castle in Muggle clothes. She liked the Muggle clothes she had. They felt comfortable, and were interesting in comparison to the medieval robes and cloaks that most wizards wore. Her only regret was that she couldn't wear her Gryffindor scarf. Why? It had been stolen again the previous week. Once again, one of the girls in the Gryffindor dormitories didn't feel like she deserved to wear her house colors with pride.

"Ah good, you're here already," came a voice behind her. Artemis turned her head, greeting Remus with a smile. He was still in his school clothing, though it was only his button up shirt, and pants, with his tie loosened around his neck. Artemis scooted off the desk she had been seated on, and walked over to him. Remus set down his things, and looked around at the mats that Artemis had already laid on the floor.

"You know," he began, looking up at her. "I know I said we should meet to make sure that you're on track, but to be perfectly honest, you seem to be doing fine, Artemis."

Artemis blushed at the sound of her name rolling off his tongue, but looked at him with a touch of sadness. He didn't want to meet anymore.

"What I mean to say," Remus corrected, noticing her hurt look, "is that for the past for sessions, you've been acing every spell. Honestly, you've got this stuff down. Whatever was holding you back before, you seem to have conquered it."

Artemis nearly chuckled out loud at the thought of actually conquering something. She understood why he would want to stop their meetings though. Talking to her had to be grating on his reputation, and his mates never seemed pleased with the notion from the beginning. Artemis stayed silent, just nodding and dropping her gaze to the floor, wondering when he would leave.

"That being said, I was wondering if maybe you want to just hang out for a bit."

Artemis' head snapped up, unsure of what she just heard. Remus was looking at her expectantly, awaiting her answer. Her mind was racing at his words, but without any thought, she choked out, "Sure, I'd love to."

Remus smiled at her, and took a seat on the floor, leaning against one of the walls. Artemis, a bit unsure of herself, moved to sit down next to him, letting her legs stretch straight out.

"So, I feel like we haven't really gotten to know each other that well, over the past few weeks," Remus began, reaching into his bag searching for something. He shook his hair out of his eyes and continued. "Tell me something about yourself."

Artemis watched him curiously as he dug through his belongings, wondering if she was dreaming again. But no, this had to be real. She begged that if it was a dream, that she would never wake up.

"Uhm…what would you like to know?" she mumbled quietly, playing with a loose thread on the skirt she was wearing. Remus finally emerged from his bag, holding what looked like the deluxe box of Honeydukes chocolate, the sight of which made Artemis brighten up.

"Anything!" Remus assured, passing her a broken off piece of chocolate, which she took with enthusiasm. "Anything at all. For example, what's your favorite book?"

Artemis contemplated this, allowing her bite of chocolate to melt in her mouth. Her brow furrowed as she thought over all of the novels she had read over the years, both wizard and Muggle. Remus enjoyed watching the look on her face as she thought over her answer.

"I'm not sure if you've heard of it," Artemis began, taking another bite of chocolate for confidence. "It's a Muggle novel."

Remus felt a little shocked, but chose not to show it. While at this point he flat out didn't believe Artemis was the pureblood crazed person everyone made her out to be, he still didn't peg her for one that would indulge in Muggle culture. It spoke greatly of her character however, that her choice would be Muggle, and Remus felt warm inside at the thought of discovering this about her.

"Well, my mum's a Muggle," Remus offered, biting into some chocolate himself. "I may not have read it, but I might have heard of it from her. Try me."

"It's called To Kill a Mockingbird by an American author, named Harper Lee," Artemis answered, pushing her long hair out of her eyes to see Remus more clearly. She had seen the small look of shock on his face, despite his desire to restrain it. She bit her lip, curious as to what he was thinking.

"You don't say. I've actually read that one before," Remus said smiling, thinking over the story in his mind about the court case involving an African American, and the children of the white lawyer. He remembered liking it as well. "They actually made a film about it."

"What's a film?" Artemis asked curiously, starting a conversation as Remus went in depth into how Muggles watch continuous still photos that go by rapidly, which made it look like it was moving, and played sound over it. Apparently they had adapted the novel into one of these films.

Their conversation took a number of turns, as they asked one another about books, and hobbies. Remus was well aware of her sheltered half answers to many questions, but he was thrilled that he had engaged her in the first place, and caused her to open up, even if it was just to find out her favorite ice cream flavor. Vanilla with chocolate chip, for the record. He had never heard her speak so much at one time, and the more he asked her, the more her voice grew, as though it had been hiding in a corner waiting to be invited out.

Many times while she spoke, Remus took moments to just contemplate her overall. He was so grateful to have had the chance to tutor her, because now he felt like he was given the privilege of knowing someone that no one else really knew.

As the sun began to fall in the distance, their conversation took yet another surprise.

"I forgot to mention," Remus said, reaching into his bag again. "I wasn't sure whether I should just send this to you later, or give it to you now, but I realized I didn't know where you lived anyway. So, here you go."

He placed into her hands a long slender box wrapped with a bow. Artemis looked at him confused, watching the smile grow on his face.

"Happy Christmas, Artemis."

Artemis' eyes widened in surprise. He was giving her a Christmas gift? Shocked, but deeply touched, she undid the ribbon and removed the top of the box.

"Oh, Remus…"

Inside was a brand new Gryffindor scarf, with small little half moon golden baubles at each corner. Artemis took the scarf out of the box, letting her fingers trace over the knitted fabric. She saw in on the end, her name was stitched in. She took in a deep breath, letting the pads of her fingertips graze over the design.

Looking up, she saw Remus beaming over at her, a twinkle in his eye. Filled with thanks and without thought, she threw her thin arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug to show her appreciation where words failed. Remus chuckled, and returned the hug, pleased to find that her hair smelled absolutely wonderful, like coconut. He buried his face in it, enjoying the embrace.

Artemis was the first to pull away as anxiety suddenly hit her. Had she really just hugged Remus Lupin? My, what a step indeed. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually hugged someone like that. Immediately afterwards, another thought came to her mind. This time, she expressed her concerns.

"Remus, you didn't have to do this!" she insisted, her voice a little higher than normal. "I feel awful, I haven't anything to give to you! I just didn't think you'd want something from me, and –"

"Artemis, calm down," Remus reassured, placing a hand on her arm to calm her. "You don't have to give me anything. I just like doing something nice for a friend." Artemis' heart jumped at the last word. She looked over at him unsure of what to do. His eyes knew how to help however, instantly drawing her in and making her feel warm inside. Her protests died down, and she lifted the scarf up and around her neck. She let the half moon decorations jangle together, and relaxed, with a smile on her face followed by a deep blush.

"Thank you, Remus. I love it," she said in her softest of voices, which nearly gave Remus goosebumps. He hadn't expected her to enjoy the gift that much, only noticing that she had lost her scarf recently and that she could use a new one. That, and he put a charm on it that if anyone attempted to steal it, they would burn their hands while holding it…

They sat in a comfortable silence after that, watching the sun go down and the moon rise up into the night sky from the window. Artemis still felt terrible for not having a gift to give in return for Remus, but couldn't help but muse over the fact that this had been one of the best afternoons she had had in a very long time. She only wished that she could return the favor in some way.

She looked over at Remus, who had been so kind, and so understanding. He seemed to genuinely want to get to know her. He had said that she was…his friend. He had befriended the school pariah. Only a truly understanding person could do such a thing, and she thanked Merlin that she had met Remus.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.

"Remus…could I tell you a secret?" Artemis asked, once again using her whispering voice, although this time, it felt fitting. Remus looked at her curiously, but nodded, as he enjoyed his chocolate. Artemis took a deep breath, sitting up and facing him.

"Okay. First off, I don't think you will, but when you hear what it is, please don't be alarmed, alright?" she forewarned, awaiting his response. He merely nodded, asking her to continue. She paused, but finally decided to spit it out.

"I think that one of the students at Hogwarts is a werewolf."

Remus nearly chocked on his chocolate as he suddenly felt a sick jolt at her words. Color drained from his face as he turned to look at her, shock written all over his face. How did she find out? Was she about to confront him? Was this a trick to get him to admit it? Remus was suddenly filled with terror, scenarios of him being carted away from the school once parents found out their children were attending classes with a filthy half-breed like him.

"I—I'm sorry?" Remus stuttered out, sitting up board straight and looking at Artemis.

"I said, I think that there's a werewolf at Hogwarts," Artemis repeated, her voice softer than ever after seeing his reaction. Perhaps this was a mistake. She knew Remus was understanding, but everyone had their limits.

"Do…Do you know who it is?" Remus asked cautiously, tiptoeing around the subject, hoping to see what she really knew.

Artemis shook her head, watching as Remus ran a hand through his hair. "Well, no…"

"Then how do you know that there is one?" Remus asked suddenly, looking at her, pulling himself together a bit. He had to make sure that she wasn't bluffing, or that it wasn't some mistake.

"Well," Artemis began, smoothing over her skirt so that she could look away from Remus' amber eyes. They were staring at her so intensely, she couldn't handle the weight of them on her. "Sometimes I go out to the Astronomy Tower at night when I can't sleep…Then one night, on the full moon, I saw it out on the grounds. This big wolf. But…well, it couldn't have been just a normal wolf. It was acting so strangely, like it was playing with other wood animals. And its tail was short, and it had short fur. It couldn't have been a normal wolf, it was definitely were."

Remus soaked all of this information in very carefully, willing himself to calm down and hide his insecurity. A wave of relief had washed over him when she said that she didn't know who it was though.

"So, you don't know who it is, at all?" Remus asked once more, just to check. Artemis shook her head again, a look of mild concern on her face.

"No. Although, I wish I did know," Artemis admitted, now staring at her shoes. "They must feel so…I dunno, alone. It must be so hard on them."

Remus gulped down a sigh of relief that Artemis was still in the dark. It was bad that he and his fellow Marauders had been seen, but at least their secret was still safe. His time at Hogwarts was still safe.

"Are you alright?" Artemis asked cautiously, with a look of concern in her blue orbs. Remus felt calm fall over him at the sight of her eyes. They were like two pools of cool water to swim into and relax him. "I'm sorry for mentioning it, I wasn't sure how you felt about werewolves."

"Oh, nonono," Remus insisted, rubbing his forehead, and looking at her pleadingly. "Trust me, I have nothing against werewolves. You just…just caught me off guard is all. It's not everyday you hear that."

Remus looked over at Artemis' concerned eyes, and suddenly thought of a way to turn this conversation around and learn more about Artemis again.

"So, Artemis," Remus asked, settling back down against the wall. "How do you feel about werewolves?"

Artemis stiffened a bit, but relaxed when she saw him leaning back against the wall, his initial shock now dissipated. When she thought about werewolves, all she could think of were the two contrasting images of the horrible Fenrir Greyback that was a friend to her father, and the young wolf that she often saw running about the Hogwarts grounds. She didn't need to think twice about which one she preferred.

"Well, I've only met one werewolf before," Artemis began, returning to the thread on her skirt, embarrassed to be talking about herself. She felt like she had talked about herself the whole night long. Remus was the one asking her though, so she felt good at least knowing that he cared about what she had to say. "My father knows Fenrir Greyback."

This time, it was Remus' turn to have his eyes widen. He couldn't help but think what a small world it was, knowing that it was Greyback himself who had turned Remus as a child. He kept this information to himself, however, seeing that Artemis had more to say.

"He always scared me growing up, and for a while I thought that all werewolves had to be so horrible like him," she continued, looking at every spot but at Remus, not wanting to get locked in by his eyes again. "But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that for every Fenrir Greyback, there must be hundreds of defenseless people that were turned into werewolves. They never asked for Lycanthropy. They never wanted to become a wolf under the full moon. People end up at the wrong place at the wrong time, and their luck runs out. It's not their fault, being werewolves. It's such a shame, that they become so isolated. I would be friends with a werewolf, in a heartbeat. Also, I think it's so wrong that there are laws that hold werewolves back. It's not like they're dangerous other than that one to two day period a month. Merlin knows a witch can be just as dangerous around a certain time of the month as well…"

At this, Remus began to laugh, a strange joy filling him up. Artemis looked up from her ramblings to see the boy's face lit up, with a large grin on his face. Artemis took this one look, and was overwhelmed by how enamored with him she was. And this moment, sitting next to him, was one that she wouldn't forget in a long time.

"And then, she said that witches get just as bad and dangerous around certain times of the month, eh? I swear, I was bawling with laughter! Honestly mates, it was amazing. She doesn't mind being friends with a werewolf! She said she would do it, in a heartbeat!"

The Marauders were all gathered in the 6th year boys' dormitory, what the other boys had always assumed was the smartest of the bunch standing in the middle of the room, replaying the evenings' events to his mates. Remus' story had been very intriguing, but it left the other Marauders with a feeling that was far from the joy that Remus felt right now.

"Anyway, I've asked her to come and sit with us tomorrow night at the Christmas Feast, if that's alright with you all. It took some convincing, but she said yes, so best behavior tomorrow night, eh?"

As Remus hopped off to bathe before he went to bed, the other boys looked to one another in horror.

"That little wench, playing him like that!" Sirius growled, throwing himself onto his bed in frustration.

James, almost the mediator, now began pacing in the middle of the room.

"Now now, we don't know what her intentions were," he reasoned out loud, messing up his jet black hair out of habit, despite the lack of females present. "For all we know, she was telling the truth."

"Are you mental?" Sirius exclaimed, sitting at the end of his bed, eyes wide with anger. "She's lying through her teeth to get him to trust her! I swear, I have had it with this bird…"

"But why not just tell him she knows it's him?" asked Peter, who was laying out his uniform for the next morning. Sirius looked over at him in disbelief.

"Because that's too straightforward!" he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "If she just tells him, then he could go to Dumbledore. She's trying to reel him in like a fly to a spider. Get him to trust her, than break him apart. You have no idea how messed up the Titus' are, mate. They're nearly as bad as my folks, so trust me, she won't take kindly to a half-breed."

James stood unsure of what to do. Should they warn Remus? Should they confront Artemis head on? He voiced his concerns to the others, returning to his pacing routine. Sirius merely shook his head.

"No mate, this is the final straw," Sirius insisted, a look of determination on his face. "It's time to get rid of her, once and for all. For Moony's sake."


	13. Tricks and Truths

Hey all! So, it's been, well, it's been months. And I've been beyond neglecting this story. I want to apologize to all of the faithful and new readers who have been reviewing, and messaging me hoping I'm alright. I am, for the record, I've just been extremely busy with my personal life. I came back to this story this week, and realized that I had become THAT author. The one that just writes, and then WHAM! Never heard from again. Either way, it's not way to treat you guys, and I do love this story, I just lost inspiration and time.

But I'm back! And I come with a really long chapter! So, I hope I can make amends! Enjoy!

* * *

Artemis' day had started off brighter than any day that she could remember in recent history. For the first time, she woke up looking forward to the day, looking forward to getting out of bed and being a Hogwarts student. Today would be a day different from all other days. All this, because Remus Lupin wanted to be her friend.

She had played her conversation with Remus the previous night over and over in her mind before she had fallen asleep. Curled up under the covers, she thought about their conversation about werewolves, how she had whispered her secret and he had given his full attention. She couldn't remember a time when she had spoken so much in one period of time. Then again, she had never had anyone to talk to, really. They had talked for what seemed like hours, before they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower before Filch found them and they somehow received Christmas detention.

As she rose to get dressed, Artemis found that the other sixth year girls were already awake, and bustling about. Nothing had changed on that front, their backs all to Artemis as though she were a mere speck on the wall. But when Artemis laid eyes on the beautiful scarf Remus had gotten her, any disappointment she might have felt was washed away with a new hope that she never thought she'd feel again. Tonight she would go to dinner, and sit next to Remus. And there, she would do everything in her power to make amends with her fellow Gryffindors. She didn't need them to love her, or even like her. She just wanted them to know where she stood, and let them know that she was sorry for her past behavior.

That night would be a night that Artemis would never forget. Little did she know, it would be for all the wrong reasons.

James Potter was pacing. Tonight would be the night where three of the four Marauders would exact their revenge on Artemis Titus for everything that she had done. James had been playing over every crime she had committed in his mind, reliving his past experiences with her. At the front of his mind, seared into his memory was his very first interaction with her at Hogwarts; he gritted his teeth as he remembered her remarks about Lily, about all of them really. He could still see the ice in her eyes as she glared them all down. For the first time though, he remembered something else about this memory; how those icy eyes had been watering, and how her thin frame had been trembling.

'_She had just gotten a Howler, her very first day…'_ he thought to himself, actually feeling sorry for Artemis. But as soon as the thought came, it was pushed aside by all of the things that Artemis had said that year, all of the crude slurs and pureblooded hogwash that she had said to all of them. There was no room to feel sorry for Artemis Titus.

As James paced, memories flashing in his mind, he thought to all of the mishaps that had taken place tis year; Titus ruining Moony's cloak; her odd behavior and eventual tutoring sessions with Remus as her partner; her entire relationship with their friend all together. James tried to find her motive. Sirius had obviously made up his mind. The girl was out to get the Marauders, and was using Moony's kindness and trust against him. And now with her knowledge of Moony being a werewolf…Sirius was downright certain that Artemis was up to no good. Peter, of course, agreed.

James began to get changed into his robes, and took a moment to run his hands through his hair. Midway through completely a stroke through, a thought came over her. Artemis' hair had changed so much over the years. It was such a silly thought; it had little to do with anything, let alone her integrity. The second he thought it, however, James couldn't rid it from his mind. Her hair was so long now, it was nearly to her waist. He remembered that first breakfast how it barely came to her shoulders, how perfectly straight it was. It made her face seem harsh, her eyes cold. But when he thought back to the incident with Moony's cloak, how she had tumbled onto him, her eyes wide with surprise, and her now long hair flowing in every direction, he didn't see the same girl. Not to mention how thin she was. He remembered pushing her off of him that same morning, and momentarily wondering how she weighed so little. In fact, he never saw her in Great Hall. Tonight's Christmas feast would be the first time he could remember her eating with her fellow students in ages. One thing was for sure; something had changed.

But just because her appear and mannerisms had changed didn't mean that she was a changed person. After all, he reminded himself, she was still a Titus.

But was she? James thought back to the day that they had pranked Artemis into "jinxing herself" in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Shannon had asked Apollo Titus to escort his sister to the Hospital Wing, but all Apollo did was laugh even louder as Artemis had started to cry. Perhaps Apollo had not realized that it was a prank, perhaps he truly thought that Artemis' spell had backfired. But, James couldn't recall any time that he had seen Apollo Titus stand up for her sister. If anyone would befriend her, it would be her only brother, her family, after all.

'_Unless her family is like Sirius'...'_ James thought suddenly, pausing as he fixed his tie. That past summer, Sirius had run away from home after years of abuse for being a Gryffindor. Could Artemis face the same sort of abuse from her family? Were they as ashamed of her as Sirius' family was of him? Did they think she was a blood traitor? Sirius had always egged his family on over the years, boldly putting up Gryffindor related items in his room, and constantly talking back to his mother and father. Artemis couldn't have done the same; after all, she had rejected Sirius' plan of rebelling early on in first year.

But the image of tears welling up in an 11-year old Artemis' eyes after receiving a Howler on her first day of school swam back in James' mind. Her family was ashamed of her, that was clear. The question was, had she ever gotten back into their graces? Was there a chance that maybe Artemis' appearances weren't all that changed? Maybe, just maybe, the girl that Remus was sure he knew wasn't all just for show…

James' thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the door to their dormitory suddenly burst open, and in ran his partners in crime, Sirius and Peter. Sirius had a grin plastered on his face, and a glimmer in his eye.

"We did it mate, we got it!" he shouted, running over and diving onto his bed with satisfaction.

"That fast? How did you get into Slughorn's things without him noticing?" James inquired, ruffling his hair at the news of their success.

"Wormtail, of course," Sirius answered, giving Peter a look of appreciation that caused the mousy faced boy to grin with pride. For once, he had done something all on his own. "Slughorn has spells to keep students out of his private storage cupboards. But, he's got nothing to keep out rats!"

That morning when all of the sixth year boys had gotten up, Remus made his way to take a shower. The moment that he was off into the lavatory, the other boys moved with lightning speed. Sirius and Peter had dressed quickly and made their way to the dungeons as fast as they could to retrieve the key to their plot that night; if Remus were to come out of the shower, James was supposed to preoccupy his werewolf friend. Luckily for him, Sirius and Peter had gotten back, and with time to spare.

"Alright," James said, stepping over to Sirius' bed, all previous ponderings about the possible change in Artemis Titus gone. "Let's see it then."

From Peter's pocket came a small glass jar that looked similar to a witch's perfume bottle. Inside the crystal like vial was a clear liquid, giving the appearance that all the container contained was water.

"Just enough Veritaserum to have her spilling her guts," Sirius, with that smirk of mischief on his face. "She won't be able to stop talking about all of her embarrassing secrets, and she'll have to admit to Moony that she's been pulling his chain this whole time."

"And in front of the whole school!" Peter whispered gleefully, his eyes shiny and round with delight.

"As long as we keep Dumbledore and Minerva from finding out it was us who took it, we should be golden," added Sirius, giving James a large grin to show his satisfaction. It was the look he normally got before he put an well laid plan into action. James smiled back, before all of his previous thoughts came rushing back to him. He opened his mouth to question, what if Artemis wasn't lying, then what would happen…

But before the words could leave his lips, the trio heard approaching footsteps, and Sirius quickly nicked the glass container from Pete and shoved it within the folds of his robes.

As Remus approached his friends, he could only think about how tonight would unfold. He hoped that he hadn't been too forward with Artemis, but desperately wanted to show the others that she was different, that she could be someone that they could be friends with. Tonight would change everything.

Finally, the time had arrived for the Feast. Artemis had decided to coupe herself up in the Library to calm her nerves. She had read all day in her favorite corner of the library before Madame Pince had kicked her out to prepare for the great Christmas Feast. Artemis had quickly gone to the ladies' room on the second floor knowing that the only person who would bother her there was Moaning Myrtle. Sure enough, Myrtle was crying about how she missed being able to eat at the feasts, although she would often get picked on.

After staring in the mirror, and looking herself over, Artemis took a deep breath.

'_What is all the fuss about, it's just eating dinner.'_ She told herself, before she looked down at her scarf. She checked to make sure that she had all of her things, especially a parcel that she had sent to her by express owl mail, before making her way out of the bathroom and on to the Great Hall.

Walking down the halls of the castle, she found herself melding into groups of other students making their way down. The halls were decorated with great detail, as they were every year. The most stunning moment however, was actually walking into the Great Hall itself. Twelve magnificent trees lined the castle walls, reaching all the way to what appeared to be the snowing night sky. Each tree had baubles and gizmos all throughout them. The House Ghosts were in attendance, surveying the hall as, their usually grey pallor looking more beautiful with the surrounding decorations.

Artemis' eyes finally fell on the Gryffindor table. She could see the table was already filling up, and could see the majority of her sixth year housemates already seated. Of course James Potter had chosen to force himself upon Lily Evans, and was seated beside her, with Sirius across from him. Beside James was Peter. And yet, there was no Remus in right. Artemis suddenly felt anxious, and bit her lip not knowing what to do. She wasn't sure if Remus had told the other boys that she could be coming, she couldn't just waltz over and sit next to them. They'd curse her into oblivion.

"Getting cold feet, are we?" came a deep voice in her ear, instantly relaxing Artemis. Turning around slowly, she was faced with none other than a smiling Remus Lupin. Artemis shook her head with a small smile on her face, causing Remus to chuckle. "Shall we sit, then?"

He walked ahead of her, every step causing her heart to speed up with nerves. As they approached, all eyes at the Gryffindor table and surely others were on them. Remus moved to sit down next to Sirius, offering Artemis the spot beside him, when suddenly he was stopped.

"Woah woah woah, mate," Sirius said, with a jovial voice, and neutral expression. "if you're gonna invite Miss Titus, then you have to actually let her be a part of the group, not over on the end."

Sirius took Artemis' hand, and pulled her to sit beside him, leaving her in between him and Remus.

"There," Sirius said, dropping Artemis' hand. "Much better. Now you're all settled, eh?"

Artemis nervously smiled as a response, her voice failing her as nerve took over. She gave Remus a quick look to make sure everything was alright. Remus, however, was staring at Sirius with a curious look on his face. His friend merely shrugged, and grabbed a chicken leg as the food suddenly appeared on the golden plates before him.

"So, Artemis," James said, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. "How've your silent spells been going? Barely see our Moony these days." All eyes were on Artemis, who's face suddenly became very red. Remus' eyes shot from Sirius to James with shock.

'_They are not honestly doing this…'_ he thought to himself, hoping his silent looks of imploring would stop his mates from ruining the night. James looked back, and gave a small shrug, before turning back to Artemis.

"Well?"

"They—They've been better," quietly answered Artemis, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice as her throat suddenly felt dry. She looked to Remus, who gave her a reassuring smile. His eyes fell upon her own, and the liquid amber within them calmed her down. She cleared her throat, and spoke up. "They've been a lot better, thanks. Remus is a really great tutor."

"I wouldn't go that far, you do all of the work," Remus replied with a smile. His presence was making this a lot easier, she might even make it through the night.

"Oh bullocks," remarked Peter suddenly, as though he had not been paying attention to the conversation at all. He looked under the table, and then back up. "Hey, I dropped my wand, and it rolled over to your lot's side. Could one of you pick it up?"

Remus and Artemis both looked down, peering their heads below the table. Sure enough, Peter's wand was there, a mere inch away from Remus' foot. He reached and grabbed the thin wand, giving Artemis an encouraging smile.

"Sorry about them," he mouthed to her, before they re-emerged from beneath the table. Everyone looked the same, Sirius and James suddenly talking to one another about Quidditch while Peter awaited his wand.

"Thanks mate," Pete muttered as he tucked his wand into his robes, giving Sirius a quick look. Out of the other's sight, Sirius gave Peter a wink back.

"So, Artemis," Sirius suddenly quipped up, after a few moments of silence amongst the group. "Tell us about yourself. I mean, I feel like I don't know you at all, and yet we've been going to school together for so long."

"Uhm, well…" She started. Her throat began to feel dry again, so Artemis reached for her goblet, taking a deep swig of her juice to prepare herself to speak. She gave a small cough, almost as if the juice had gone down the wrong tube, but then suddenly she was fine again. "Uhm, what would you like to know?"

"Oh, anything, really," James said, not even looking up at her, taking a bite of his shepard's pie.

"What's your favorite color?" Sirius asked, looking at her intently in the eye.

Without any thought, the words left her mouth in an instant.

"Purple."

"Favorite animal?"

"Cat."

"Favorite subject?"

"Transfiguration."

Remus gave Artemis an odd look, as each of her responses had come out like rapidfire, without any hesitation. Artemis looked back, equally unsure. She simply chalked it up to nerves though; she had never spoken to James and Sirius like this.

"So, tell us Artemis," Sirius said, a glint suddenly in his eyes. "What color are your knickers right now?"

Remus' eyes suddenly widened, and he opened his mouth to tell Sirius off, but Artemis cut him off.

"Black, with a small white bow on the front."

Artemis quickly snapped her hand to her mouth, her hands wide. What on earth had she said? Why had she responded, that was absolutely inappropriate! But her words had caught the attention of others at the Gryffindor table, with Lily and Emmeline giving disapproving looks in her direction, while some of the younger boys suddenly were interested.

"Sirius, stop, what're you playing at?" Remus asked, his voice deep and filling with anger. Ignoring his friend, James continued for Sirius.

"Tell us Artemis, you ever been kissed?"

"No," Artemis admitted, her hand having left her mouth for just the right amount of time to say it, before she clamped it back on. What had come over her, why was she saying that things.

"Do you think anyone would want to kiss you anyway?" Sirius asked now, maliciously, enjoying the response this prank was getting. More students were listening in now, waiting to see what would happen next.

Artemis tried to keep her hand down on her mouth, but an unstoppable force ripped it away from her face, as the word "No" left her lips yet again. Her eyes were wide, and she looked over to Remus for help. His eyes were set on his friends however, his brow deeply furrowed with anger.

"Stop it you guys, what did you do to her?" Remus demanded to know, but now Peter plucked up the courage to join in.

"Tell us Artemis, do you like anyone at school? Do you want to be kissed by someone?"

"Yes," came the instant response, and Artemis' vision began to blur as her eyes began to water.

"Ooooh," Sirius mocked her, his eyes cruel. "Tell us, tell us who."

"Sirius, I mean it, don't-"

"I want to be kissed by Remus Lupin," Artemis' response came to cut off Remus' angry requests. He stopped, and looked down at the now trembling girl, speechless at her words. Sirius, however, had hit the jackpot.

"Ah, a wee crush on our own dashing Mr. Lupin, I see," Sirius continued, with a few students beginning to laugh at Artemis' expense. "And tell us Artemis, what else do you think of doing with Remus?"

Remus was pulled out of his shock, to once again try to stop Sirius, but the response was once again too fast.

"I think about him kissing me, and I think about what it would be like for him to touch me, and—" Artemis tried with all of her power to not continuing talking. She shut her mouth and bit down on her lip to try and keep it closed, scrunching her eyes up. She tried to make it stop, make herself stop, the magic was too powerful. Her mouth, suddenly open again, continuing. "And…and to say that he feels the same way, and make…make…"

"Sirius, that's enough!" Remus cried out, grabbing Artemis' arm and pulling herself. He put his hand over her mouth and together, the two rushed out of the Great Hall to a great deal of laughter, as the staff looked up in wonder at the interruption that they had obviously missed.

Pulling her into an empty classroom, Remus sat Artemis down at a desk, his hand still over her mouth. Looking at her, his heart fell to pieces. Any progress the two had made had been shattered, he could see. She sat there unable to look at him, tears streaming down from her closed eyes. Her body trembled as it often did when she was nervous, or upset. Remus didn't know what to do, or what to say. She had just faced a massive intrusion of privacy, been publicly humiliated, and all because of his friends. His friends that refused to listen to him, to trust his judgment, and just give Artemis a chance.

"Look, Artemis, I—"

"Don't."

The response was so small that Remus almost didn't hear it. Looking at her intently, he watched as she tried to compose herself. Artemis took a breath, and opened her eyes, refusing to look at him.

"It doesn't matter what you say, or do, Remus," Artemis whispered, her voice shaking and cracking with every other word. "I will always be the monster that they met our first year. No matter what, I will always be a monster to them, because it is all they've ever known. And you know, I can't blame them. But it just makes me so sad, and I feel so alone."

She finally looked up at him, and set her face straight.

"I want nothing more in this world than to have someone to talk to, someone who wants to know me, to be with me, be it a friend…or…or something more," she began, wiping her eyes. "But the more I hope that people who change, people will understand, the more I'm just reminded how stupid that thought is, and how worthless I really am to the people around me."

"Artemis, that's not true," Remus began, putting his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. Artemis pushed them off with force.

"Yes! Yes it is!" Artemis yelled, her voice suddenly reaching heights it had never gone to before. "Do you think I like who I was back then, Remus? Do you think I don't realize how ignorant and downright rotten I sounded? All I cared about what my family, what they thought of me. I pushed everyone away, even though everyone was so kind to me at first. I threw everything away for my family. And for what? My family wants nothing to do with me! The only thing my father thinks I'm good for is to smack around. I am alone, Remus, and no matter what, that first image that people have of me will always stick."

Artemis got up, and walked over to the window. She looked up at the moon, which now stood so close to being full. In a night or two it would be, and suddenly Artemis began to chuckle.

"I might as well be that werewolf I told you about," she began to say, a sad smile forming on her face as she realized the irony of the situation. "One werewolf like Fenrir Greyback sets the tone, and before you know it, people have their minds set. Werewolves are evil, they're sick, they're wicked abominations. I wish I knew that werewolf I told you about, because honestly, he's probably the only person that I could ever be friends with at this point."

"You're not Fenrir Greyback."

"Tell that to Sirius Black," Artemis retorted, turning around to face Remus. He had a pained look on his face, the fact that his best friend had caused this entire situation. "I'm not the girl that they met first year. But I get it. I get this whole bloody game. I just thought you'd be better than that. I guess I got you wrong too, Remus."

Remus looked at her in confusion. "Wait, wait, what?"

"I feel so stupid for actually falling for this, this whole thing!" Artemis yelled back at him, her eyes on fire. "I knew it was too good to be true that someone would actually want to talk to me, someone would actually want to get to know me. To befriend me. I still fell for it, though, didn't I? How better to convince me to come to meet the trap set at the feast than to befriend me? You lot know I don't eat in the Great Hall!"

"No, no Artemis, that's not it at all!" Remus began to protest, his eyes widening in horror as he realized what she was thinking, that Remus had been a part of this plan.

"In fact, it must go all the way back to the first night of the year! You heard Madame Pomfrey mention my eating issues, and bam, you boys have a way to get at me! Congrats, I hope you enjoyed it! I hope you had a great deal of fun, and get to enjoy a nice round of laughs with everyone else!"

Artemis tore off her scarf, throwing it at Remus as she moved towards the door.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I actually wish you arseholes had just kept on ignoring me."

And with that, she stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door behind her. Remus moved to go after her, calling her name, but by the time he was out in the hallway, she was gone. Running his hands through his hair in frustration, anger filled him. How could this have happened? Everything was going so wonderfully with her, everything had been perfect! Until…

"Moony, oh god Moony, what a show!"

Turning around, Remus faced that approaching voice. James, Peter, and Sirius were walking up, James and Peter smart enough to have serious looks of apprehension , whereas Sirius was clearly pleased with himself. Remus' head began to boil, and he started to see red as Sirius got closer.

"Listen, mate, it was just a prank, that bird was bad news—"

Sirius was suddenly and forcefully cut off as Remus' right fist connected with his face. Being so close to the full moon, the power of the punch knocked Sirius to the ground. James and Peter just stared back with wide eyes filled with shock at their friend's sudden outburst.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" cried out, clutching his left eye where he had been hit.

"Are you dense? Do you have any idea what you've done?" Remus yelled with a husky, incensed voice. "Why would you do that to her? What in Merlin's bloody beard possessed you to do this?"

"She's trying to trick you, mate!" Sirius yelled back, getting back onto his feet. "She knows what you are, she's just trying to fool you into liking her so she can hold it over our heads!"

"She doesn't know, Sirius!" Remus roared back, walking right up in Sirius' face. "You gave her Veritaserum, no doubt. You know what she just said to me? She said she wished she knew who the werewolf was, because he was probably the only person she could ever truly be friends with."

"Oh, shit," James muttered, closing his eyes in realization. If that was true, then…then they were wrong about her, they were wrong all along.

"Yeah, oh shit!" Remus yelled back, now facing James, who had the face of a guilty culprit.

"She's right! All you lot think of is first year! What she said, how she acted FIRST YEAR! That was ages ago, you lot honestly think a person can't change? Do you know what she's been through because of her family? Because of us? Every day, she wakes up to people hating her for something that she isn't. And she goes home to her family hating her for just being. She has no one! And for once, I got her to open up, I got to know the wonderful person that she's become…and you do this to her!"

"Remus," James said in a soft voice of regret, "I am so, so sorry. I swear, we will go up and fix this, we'll explain everything to her. "

"She won't believe you!" Remus exclaimed, moving away from them and leaning against the cold stone wall. "She thinks I was in on this all, that the reason I got to know her was to lure her into a trap. She'll never trust a word of ours, and honestly, I don't blame her."

Remus clenched his fists in anger, and felt the wool material of Artemis' scarf. Looking down at it, he lightly touched on of the half moons, and closed his eyes. He had lost her.

"Moony," came Sirius' voice, filled with new emotion. "I'm sorry. I was stupid to not listen to you. I was stupid."

"Just…just go up to the dorm," Remus said dismissively, opening his eyes, and moving away from the group and back towards the empty classroom. "I need to just be alone."

As he closed the door, the three offending Marauders made their way up to Gryffindor Tower, their shoulders low. They had been so wrong, and their lack of faith in their friend and lack of understanding towards Artemis had led to uncertain destruction. As James closed the door, a heavy feeling sat in his heart, as a voice in his head, his voice of reason said, "I told you so…"

Meanwhile, Remus sat with his head down in the desk that Artemis had previously occupied. A feeling so miserable came over him, and he suddenly never wanted to move again. Artemis had been wrong about his part in the prank, but he couldn't blame her suspicion. He couldn't blame her for anything. He played over the evening's events in his mind, and couldn't help but feel a certain pang in his chest as he remembered her truthful responses to Sirius' questions. She had feelings for him, and knowing that her trust in him was gone made Remus' stomach sink.

He got up and kicked the desk in frustration, only to hear it slide something across the floor. Looking across the room, Remus made out a long, thin box in the moonlight. Picking it up, he dusted it off, and looked at the tag, his heart jumping as he read his own name.

He pulled at the golden ribbon, and slowly removing the box, his heart pounding. What he found inside made it difficult to breathe as he realized what this was. Remus pulled out an identical scarf to the one that he had given Artemis, only this one had silver full moons attached to each corner, his name stitched into one end. Sitting on top was a delicately written note, that broke Remus' heart in seconds.

_Remus,_

_You have no idea how much your friendship means to me. Thank you for everything, and Happy Christmas!_

_With love,_

_Artemis_


	14. Cruel Intentions

Chapter 14 – Cruel Intentions

As the festivities in the Great Hall continued on, lips gleefully spreading word of the Marauder's latest prank, Artemis felt completely numb. She had thought about racing straight up to Gryffindor Tower, but she knew that the girls would soon be back up in the dorm, and she had no desire to be near them or their jeers. She thought about her safe haven up in the Astronomy Tower, where she had watched stars shoot by and had cleared her mind endless amounts of time. That spot was ruined now as well; she had told Remus about it, surely he had mentioned it to the others. That spot wasn't safe anymore. Nothing was safe anymore. So she walked where she knew no one would find her, where no one would bother her.

Well, not exactly.

"Ooh, something awful must have happened to you!" squeaked Moaning Myrtle, floating near the top of the sinks, forever a young girl with pigtails and round glasses that resembled James Potter's. "I can tell, I'm very good at sensing absolute depression."

Artemis wasn't listening to Myrtle though. She sat in a stall, with the door closed, and rested her head against the wall. She was very tired. It would be foolish to say that Artemis had never felt this type of anguish before. She had experienced this stabbing pain in his chest once, and that was her summer after first year. She had hoped above all hopes that her family would still care, and embrace her. She had instead met opposition and disappointment. Artemis never thought she'd feel this way about any other subject ever again. Nothing was worse than losing one's family.

And yet, Artemis felt like she had just lost a limb. She stared blankly at the grimy stall walls, but in her mind, she thought of every moment spent with Remus. He had been so nice to her, he had seemed interested in her, always asking questions and getting her to open up.

'_Naturally, it was all just part of the game,'_ she thought sadly, her realization stinging her deeply. Why else would he care to know about her? He had been looking for a weakness, something to use against her when the Marauder's staged their ambush. Still, she had not expected the nature of their attack.

No doubt she had been slipped Vertiaserum, she couldn't think of anything else that would have gotten her to openly admit those private things about herself. Her face flushed and burned red at the fact that she had spoken about her undergarments, the fact that she had never been kissed, her thoughts on Remus…

Her eyes narrowed as her heart still sped up at the mere thought of him. She hated herself for being so vulnerable, for not seeing the trap she had fallen into. But worse, she hated herself more for falling for the Marauder himself. She had allowed herself to become smitten with him, and because of this, his betrayal wounded her even more.

Sighing, Artemis closed her eyes. She was a mess, and she knew that this situation would never get better. When Artemis looked to her future outside of Hogwarts, she saw nothing but more of what she had already received. Her name alone would scare off any future employers. She had always hoped for a spot at St. Mungo's, but when she tried to imagine herself as a Healer, all she saw were the myriad of memories of Hogwarts students refusing to take a potion in the Hospital Wing if Artemis brewed it, or yelling that she would only be poisoning or cursing them, making it worse. How do you put your health and trust into a monster like her? Into someone as evil and vile as everyone made her out to be? The saddest part is that even her family name would get her nowhere. Any connections she would have had with her family were lost years ago. Everyone knew that her name was inches away from being burnt out of the family tree. She was surprised that her family even allowed her to come home for the summers anymore.

No, Artemis didn't truly have a home anymore. Everywhere she went, people glared at her, people despised her. And now, people were out to humiliate her further. It just didn't seem worth it anymore. What did life have to offer her?

After what seemed like a lifetime, Artemis rose, and exited the stall. Myrtle had vanished down a pipe ages before, already bored with Artemis' misery. Moving towards the door, Artemis saw the nearly full moon make its way out from behind a cloud and light up the dingy unused bathroom. Pausing, Artemis stared at the moon, suddenly remembering the only other being on campus that could understand how she felt. Artemis chuckled darkly, realizing that even the werewolf had it better. No one knew of its affliction, no one judged it harshly because it remained a mystery to all. The werewolf got to walk the castles without a target painted on his or her back, free from all of the torment that Artemis had faced. It was hidden from all hatred, at least until it entered the working world and would be forced to reveal itself to society. Until then, the werewolf was just another student, freely walking the halls of Hogwarts.

Artemis hoped beyond all hope that the werewolf would have a future brighter than any future ahead of her. It was in that moment that Artemis knew what she wanted to do, and how she would do it. She obviously had no hope in this world anymore, no rope to grab onto. She was at rock bottom with no way to get back up the hole she had dug for herself.

So, she was decided, it would end. She would put an end to her life, and to all of the pain that she had brought upon herself.

Hogwarts was all a flutter the next morning with the holiday ahead. Students lugged her trunks and belongings down to grounds, heading towards Hogsmeade station and to the Hogwarts Express, with talks of presents and family ahead of them. The snow that fell made the day look like something out of a card, a beautiful setting for the journey home. Nearly every student on Hogwarts grounds had plans to go home, and by the afternoon, Artemis was able to return to Gryffindor Tower and find her dorm room completely empty. Lily, Dorcas, and Emmeline obviously had a joyous holiday ahead of them; Artemis remembered them discussing all that they would do over the vacation away from the castle. Lying in her bed, Artemis wondered if they would notice her absence when they returned.

A stairway across, Remus Lupin was lying in his four poster bed, his brow furrowed. Normally he would be taking the Hogwarts Express home with the others, but seeing as how this year the full moon cycle landed on that night, he would wait to make his transformation in the Shrieking Shack, and then return home as soon as he had recovered. He knew how much it worried his mother when he made his transformations at home, and Dumbledore had agreed to help him make the proper arrangements. The rest of the Marauders had left that morning, with promises from James and Sirius that they would Apparate into Hogsmeade Village and join him that night without fail. Peter had not passed his Apparation test and therefore would be spending his night at home without them.

Remus had still been livid the previous night when he finally returned back to the dorm, his intended present from Artemis tucked within his robes away from the others. As he had expected, the others were still up, and had bombarded him with an endless amount of apologies. Remus had no desire to hear it; he believed them when they said they were sorry, but it didn't mean that he forgave their actions.

"Are we really going to let her come between us like this?" Sirius had asked with an imploring voice, his left eye bruised and purple from the punch he had received earlier that night. "After everything, this one girl is going to do this to us?"

Sirius was of course right. While what they had done to Artemis was wrong, and while it pained him deeply to see how it had affected her, Remus knew that his mates felt terrible. And they had been there for him since the moment they met him. They had taken him in, and made him feel like he was worth something again. It wasn't often that a werewolf found any friends at all, anyone to understand and accept him. He could never truly turn them away.

"It still wasn't right what you did, okay?" Remus had finally said to Sirius and the other, taking his robes off and readying himself for bed. "I know that you did it because you were looking out for me, and you thought she was trying to use me or something. But honestly, you lot have to start thinking things out and realizing the consequences of our actions. You barely even knew Artemis, you only knew what you had to go by from first year, and you just assumed the worst. How does that make us any better than the Slytherins?"

"We're nothing like them!" Peter spoke up, his mousy eyes looking insulted.

"Aren't we though?" Remus retorted, crossing his arms. "They target Muggleborns for something that their parents have them believing. Without even getting to know any of them, they just assume that Muggleborns are filth, hence why they get picked on. We just assume that Artemis is a right bitch just because she said some things in first year? Did no one pick up on the fact that she never said anything to us again? That her brother and his mates pick on her endlessly? Why would a Slytherin pick on one of their own? They even like Snape, so what reason would they have to hate Artemis?

"Maybe think your plot out next time, eh?" Remus continued, settling down, his amber eyes gazing out at them, troubled like never before. "Before you end up hurting someone the way you've hurt her."

The boys had of course continued their apologies late into the night, and eventually Remus gave in to their words wanting to just get some sleep. He just hoped his speech had sunk in and that maybe, just maybe, he could figure out a way to make things up to Artemis.

Now, as he lay in his bed thinking over his impending transformation, he thought back to Artemis' words about how she felt on the werewolf on campus. The irony of her statement that she felt the werewolf was the only person she probably could ever truly be friends with, when she unbeknownst to her, she was running away from the werewolf himself. It was cruel, what the others had done to her, and that after everything they had been through, she no longer trusted him. Remus wasn't sure where their friendship had been going, and hearing Artemis truthfully saying that she had feelings for him muddled up his mind even more. All he knew was that he had treasured it, and that he wanted it back.

Sitting up, Remus vowed one thing. He would fix things with Artemis. He didn't know how, but after that night's full moon, he would do everything in his power to get back into her good graces.

Nightfall came swiftly that night, Artemis counting the seconds until it reached midnight. Her heart was beating at its normal rate, and she wondered how many beats it would have until it finally stopped. She had packed up all of her things neatly so that when they had to clean out her side of the dorm, it wouldn't be too difficult. She had thought about writing out a note of explanation, but then realized that no one would care to read it anyway, so she didn't even bother.

Pulling on her cloak, Artemis surveyed her room, thinking over all of the bad memories she had here. She didn't mind that she was leaving it all behind. Pulling her wand out of her pocket, Artemis examined it. She remembered the exciting day when she and Apollo had gone to Ollivander's to get their wands. She remembered the spooky way Ollivander himself went about his business, and how it had felt to grasp onto the wand that would in turn choose her. Ollivander had informed her it was made of hawthorn, 12 inches long with a phoenix tail feather core. She was promised excellent performance in Transfiguration, and had indeed seen such results.

With a heavy heart, she delicately set her wand down on the antique wooden night stand, where she had placed it every night for six years. She wouldn't be needing it anymore.

Making her way down the staircase into the empty common room, Artemis didn't even bother looking around. She would not miss this place, how could she? Exiting the portrait hole, she found that this nighttime stroll through Hogwarts halls would be easier than any time previous. Over the holidays, even Filch knew that there were barely any students left, and did not stroll the corridors as he usually did during term. Artemis' feet moved automatically, as though she had programed this night in her mind. She was on autopilot, and there was no going back.

It was difficult to open the entrance hall doors, with how ominously tall they were, her tiny hands pushing against the sturdy ancient wood. But as the cold winter air brushed against her face, she knew that she was nearly there.

She moved quietly through the snow, ignoring how the wind bit at her face and how her hair flowed wildly behind her. She kept moving, her mind racing at every memory at Hogwarts; every glare she had felt against her back; every cold shoulder; every time that one of her brother's friends at cornered her; back to her first day, how unsure she had felt; how she had thought that maybe, just maybe she could befriend those people; she thought about her Howler; about every single time she had found herself alone and crying for seemingly no reason; she thought about Sirius Black and his hatred towards her; to James Potter, and how he had thrown her off of him in disgust; to the first day of the year when she had been taken to the hospital wing in Remus Lupin's arms…

It hurt to think about Remus. Every thought about her time at Hogwarts or home was filled with pain, but above all things was Remus. As she walked past Hagrid's hut and closer to the Forbidden Forest, she couldn't stop her heart from racing as she thought of him. His eyes had made her feel warmer than anything else in this world. He had always reassured her, spoken so kindly, always there, always offering his hand, even on that very first day.

She didn't want to remember Remus though; she didn't want to think about him at all. She wanted everything behind her, and only thought now towards her future. This future that she had set out for herself was brighter than anything else that she could have reached if she had stayed. She had made up her mind, and this was it. She had been obsessed with the werewolf since the moment that she knew of its existence. And while she regretted that she would never find out who he or she was in their human form, she was still pleased that they would meet in some way. Because every step she took into the forest was a step closer to the wolf. And Artemis knew that the second it saw her, the second her scent entered its nostrils, it would kill her, and finally end it all.

As that thought crossed her mind, she felt her heart beating fiercely in her chest. It seemed to know its beats were numbered and soon would come to a deafening halt. Artemis heard a crackling of branches around her, causing her to stop in her track. She wondered what creature was near her, when suddenly a loud howl broke through the night air, raising the hairs on the back of Artemis' neck. This was it. Standing there in the snow, Artemis clenched and unclenched her hands, waiting for the moment to come. The rustling got closer and closer, from directly ahead of her, and Artemis knew she only had seconds left.

_Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum. _

Her heart was racing, every molecule in her body, every instinct telling her to run, that she wasn't safe. But her legs stayed glued to the spot, her face set.

_Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum b-_

Suddenly, another howl cut through the air, sickeningly close, and before Artemis could count another heartbeat, out of the tree burst the creature she had been watching for months. The werewolf was bigger than expected, with short hair that shone in the moonlight and snow. It bared its monstrous teeth to her, growling menacingly. Staring at it, Artemis felt no fear. She was ready.

"Come on," she murmured to herself, her words unable to be heard above the wind. "Come at me."

The werewolf stared her down, sniffing the air as though to make sure this was a human. It recognized this human, it had seen her before, but he had never smelled her. Her scent filled its lungs, and with another breath, it howled once more, preparing to pounce on its prey…

"Come at me! Kill me already!" screamed Artemis, as she heard more rustling in the trees all around her. The werewolf launched its self at her, and she closed her eyes waiting for impact. She waited, before hearing chaos breaking out. She felt something jump over her, and heard it make contact with the werewolf, two growls filling the night air. Before she could open her eyes to see what had attacked the werewolf, however, she suddenly felt the wind knocked out of her as something incredibly large and warm rammed into her side. Artemis was thrown violently aside and felt her head make contact with something before everything cut to black.


	15. Blue Eyed Confession

New chapter! Thanks for all of the reviews, and I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday break! I get to go home this Friday after I take one last final, huzzah! Enjoy the chapter!

EDIT:/ Hey guys, I'm sure a lot of you guys that have subscribed to this story are getting emails that I've updated. I have actually just made a change to a character. I've changed the name of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to Professor Shannon, for personal reasons. Anyway, that involved me updating chapters 6-13 basically, without me realizing that I could just update a chapter rather than having to delete the previous chapters and start again. So...sorry about that. Also, I've added a bit extra to the end of this chapter, so enjoy!

* * *

All around her, Artemis could hear nothing. Her world felt numb and black, an endless void that continued into eternity. Her life was over, ended swiftly and without pain, and now Artemis felt herself settling into her perpetual solitude. Thoughts were no longer possible, and the world was no longer tangible to her. She was free from it all. That is, until she realized that her heart was beating loudly in her chest. It was a low, buried noise that reverberated through her to the very core. With every beat through the darkness Artemis felt her consciousness rising to the surface. She felt as though her heart was beating a death march for her, slow and languid, yet resounding. Beat after beat echoing through her body, into her mind, forcing her to accept a dark truth. She was still very much alive.

It was with this realization that Artemis' consciousness struck her like lightening, suddenly inviting in a wave of thought, sound, emotion, and a sense of self awareness. It was as if her body was a match, and with the one swipe that was her consciousness, she had ignited a flame. She was alive, she was breathing, she was real. And with that suddenly came the pain, a pain so real that racked her entire body, starting from the space beneath her ribs and spreading out through the rest of her body. Her eyes shot open as she took a sharp intake of breath, the world around her bright and blurry. Her eyes blinked rapidly, fighting to clearly see that world that was slowly turning around her, and soon she was able to make out a pair of pale blue eyes staring down at her behind half-moon spectacles.

Artemis' blinked a few more times for good measure, but her tired eyes were not deceiving her: Albus Dumbledore was sitting before her. Seated in a wooden chair at her side, his long silver beard was just barely touching his lap, where his aged and worn hands sat folded. His face was calm, and his eyes stared at her without caution, wearing robes of deep maroon that wrapped around his elderly frame. Of all of the things that Artemis had expected to happen in what she had anticipated as the last moments of her life, this was not one of them.

"I must say Miss Titus," he said in a clear voice, with no trace of negative emotion. "There are many unusual and unexpected happenings at Hogwarts with every passing year. But even I did not expect this."

Artemis stared at him with despair, reality crashing upon her with every second. She was of course in the Hospital Wing, how had she not seen it the moment she opened her eyes? Artemis felt little shame however; no, the main emotion Artemis was feeling was disappointment with herself. How had she allowed herself to survive? How on earth could that have possibly happened? Seeing Dumbledore before her, and knowing that she would now have to face his judgment did not help. The headmaster did not hesitate however to continue.

"Do you recall the events of the previous seven hours, Miss Titus?" he asked her kindly, tilting his head in an inquisitive manner that kept her eyes on him even when she wished to look anywhere but at him. Artemis stared at him, the throbbing pain from beneath her ribcage continuing to flow over her, and did not move. Her eyes simply stared into his, trying to not see the emotion in his eyes. "I will take your silence as a no, although I'm sure that this is only partially true. You see, Miss Titus, it is not often that I receive a call from our dear Madame Pomfrey in the early hours of the morning with news of a student being gravely injured, in the forest no less. However, this is exactly how my morning transpired."

Artemis did not understand. How had anyone even found her? Reaching into the far recesses of her mind, Artemis tried to piece together the previous night's events. She remembered the cold wind whipping against her face, she remembered her angry provoking of the werewolf, and the sound of it charged towards her, her eyes closed…from that moment forward however, her world was a blank.

"Perhaps I shall explain how you were brought to the Hospital Wing at all," Professor Dumbledore continued, gazing down at her through those half-moon spectacles as though he knew all of the secrets of the world. Artemis momentarily wondered if he was a Legilimens, but was brought out of her thoughts as the aged wizard continued. "You see, you were found unconscious and wounded deep in the Forbidden Forest by one of the members of the centaur clan that take residence within its folds. This centaur, Firenze, was generous enough to go against his nature and help an injured student. He carried you to our Gatekeeper Hagrid's home outside of the forest, and alerted him that you needed immediate medical attention. From there, Hagrid kindly brought you to the Hospital Wing, where Madame Pomfrey has been meticulously healing you. I can say with complete honesty that I have never seen her so singularly worried and fearful for a particular student before you. I am left to understand that the two of you have a very close relationship. Nothing else could have made Poppy summon me so quickly."

Artemis felt stung by the words, looking over to Madame Pomfrey's office at the end of the wing. She could see behind the thin curtains that the nurse was pacing back and forth, obviously asked by the headmaster to allow him time alone to talk to Artemis. The realization that she was causing Madame Pomfrey to suffer, after she had been so good to Artemis over the years, pained her substantially.

"I am glad to see that I am not mistaken," commented Dumbledore, who now stared at Artemis with the smallest of smiles behind his long flowing beard. Artemis returned her gaze to him, unsure what to do or say. Dumbledore did not seem to mind this fact, however, and continued on. "I will ask you again, Miss Titus, one last time if you will share with me the events of the previous evening."

Artemis froze, scared to announce her intentions. She had tried to end her own life, and had failed. While the thought alone was easy enough to process, Artemis found that explaining it, saying it aloud, was more difficult that she had ever imagined. Dumbledore's blue eyes gazed patiently into her own cool blue orbs, and with a deep breath that caused a shot of pain to run through her body again, Artemis answered him.

"I know that one of the students is a werewolf," Artemis stated, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper, but clear to the headmaster. Even after stating this monumental fact, Dumbledore did not seem surprised. It was almost as if he was already aware of every moment that had happened that previous night, and only wished to hear it from her first hand. His calming lined face gave her motivation to continue anyway. "Last night, I went into the forest to find it."

"And why, may I ask, would you try to search out this werewolf?" the headmaster asked in his sagely voice, still without disappointment or disapproval. It was as though he were asking her why she wore a particular shirt one day, something simple. His ease did not calm her, but made her feel restless. She wanted to spit everything out.

"Because I wanted it to end my life."

As soon as the words had left her mouth, Artemis knew that this conversation would take a turn. She could not possibly imagine how Dumbledore could remain aloof after she had admitted her intentions for the previous night. As she looked into his eyes, she watched them grow sad, and suddenly felt deeply ashamed.

"Miss Titus, I will not attempt to pry your reasons from you," Dumbledore began, his voice clear and resounding, every tone perfectly entering Artemis' ears. "You must know, however, that as a student under my watch, I am deeply troubled by this matter. You are one of the brightest witches of your age, with much to offer this incredible world of ours. Of course, I realize this is not what you may wish to hear."

Indeed, Artemis had opened her mouth to protest, but the headmaster had raised a hand to halt her, and allow him to continue.

"I realize that I do not know your day to day experiences. But it would be foolish to believe that I have not noticed your struggles through the years, Miss Titus. I still remember your very first day here at Hogwarts, and the scene that played out in the Great Hall that morning."

Artemis closed her eyes, sighing. Even the Headmaster had committed to memory her greatest moment of shame, the moment that had set the tone for Artemis' entire time at Hogwarts. It pained her to know that people of all reaches, both students and teachers, hell, even the headmaster alike would remember her for that ignorant moment in her life.

"However, I have sneaking suspicions that your viewpoints have vastly changed over the years. Would I be correct in my assumptions?"

Artemis couldn't contain herself any longer.

"It doesn't matter now though, does it Professor?" she quipped, returning her tired gaze to the aged headmaster. "No matter what I've done, no one seems to understand that I am not the foolish girl who said those cruel things in my first year. No one seems to be capable of processing that people can change, they can grow, they could be different from what you think! I've tried apologizing; I've just tried just keeping my distance. Still, nothing works; I'm still Artemis Titus, the pureblood fanatic."

She felt tears coming to her eyes, and felt extraordinary amounts of embarrassment, but could not keep them from falling.

"And then I get tricked into thinking that finally, someone is listening to me, and actually wanting to get to know me," Artemis croaked, looking down into her lap. "But no, it's all just a game to make me look like even more of a prat. I mean nothing to anyone, Professor. I'm either completely invisible to people, or I'm something to be poked at like a showdog. And that will never change. So I might as well take myself out of the picture entirely."

The wizard had sat in silence, allowing Artemis to vent her frustrations. Peering over his crooked nose, he took the young witch in. Artemis felt unsure of what to do or say next, but suddenly found the decision made up for her as the headmaster began to speak again.

"Artemis, I could sit here and go into great detail about your worth in this world. But I know that no matter what I say, you will not believe me, because I am not one of your peers. And in your young years, it is of course the thoughts of ones' peers that seem to mean the most," he said lightly, intently staring into her eyes. "But do know that your wanting to end your life will do no good to anyone. This world has a multitude of opportunities to offer a young witch of your caliber. I know that you have said that you have attempted apologies, and that your fellow classmates have not been able to greet you with open arms. However, I want you to know that you have options, and that the world is not only made up of those currently attending Hogwarts. You have every opportunity in the world to go out and meet someone that had no prejudice against you, and to get to know them. You can begin anew somewhere. You can also fight back, and work to make amends. And while I know it might not have worked in the past, I have a feeling that more people will be willing to hear your story now."

Artemis nodded, taking his words into account. He was right. While her immediate world may be completely against her, there was an entire world out there after she graduated. She could move to a different country, begin anew. It was a simple enough solution. But Artemis felt like she would be running away.

_I was already running away…_ she thought to herself, in terms of her attempt at death. Dumbledore was right, her world didn't have to be held back by the students of Hogwarts. And of course, she could try to speak to her fellow classmates again. But at this point, she almost didn't want to. Why be friends with people that never listened before? Artemis thought to Remus, and felt a great deal of pain as his face flooded her mind. Even after all he had done, deep down she still wished for him to be friends with her again.

"Now, in relation to the other situation at hand," Professor Dumbledore continued, bringing Artemis back out of her reverie. "We must discuss the nature of last night's events. That is to say, your knowledge that one of the students here suffers from lycanthropy."

Artemis had actually hoped this conversation would crop up, and eagerly said, "Professor, I swear, I have no intentions of telling anyone. I don't even know who it is, I just know that there is one that roams the campus grounds."

"Yes, Miss Titus. I am not concerned about your secrecy. I had suspicions that you would be willing to keep this secret safe. Rather, I wished to discuss the consequences had you succeeded in your plans for last night."

Dumbledore stood at this, his long robes sweeping across the floor. Artemis did not fully understand what he was getting at until he continued.

"You see, Miss Titus, the student in question was attacked at a very young age, and has gone to great lengths to ensure that he or she does not turn out like the werewolf that attack him or her. What I mean to say is that this student has no intentions of hurting anyone. As I'm sure you know, however, when a person is in their werewolf state, they have no control over their impulses. The point I would like to make clear to you, Miss Titus, is that had you succeeded in your plans, you could have done a great deal of damage to this student. The thought of killing another would haunt him or her for the rest of his or her life. And on top of that, they would face Ministry action once it was determined that they were the cause of your death. I hope that before you continue on any endeavor in the future, big or small, you will consider the affects it will have on the other parties in question. I do not know what stopped the student from attacking you, Miss Titus, but it saved not one but two lives last night."

Artemis was speechless, her heart seeming to stop in her chest. He was absolutely right. Artemis was so wrapped up in her own thoughts and sorrow that she hadn't even begun to think about what that could have done to the werewolf after he or she changed back into a human. Would they remember killing her? Would they have been sent to Azkaban? Artemis' body was racked in regret. How could she have been so stupid, and single-minded? She had not taken into account how this could have affected anyone, from the werewolf, to Madame Pomfrey, anyone. Artemis was ashamed of her mistake. She was no longer disappointed that she had failed to succeed in her attempt at death; instead, she felt great shame that she had tried something so foolish at all.

"Professor," Artemis choked, as tears began to fall from her eyes. "I am so sorry. I never meant to—"

"I know, Artemis," the headmaster said softly, placing a weathered hand on her shoulder. "Worry not, and try to move past this moment. I often find that our greatest feats are birthed from our darkest hours."

With that, the headmaster straightened up, and with the blink of an eye was gone from the Hospital Wing. The moment he had left, Madame Pomfrey had burst out of her office, eyes red, immediately fussing over her. Artemis felt herself being pulled into a deep hug by the woman that she often viewed as her mentor, and continued to cry after everything that had happened. Dumbledore was right. She should take this time to rise up and fight back against the world that refused to listen to her. For now, however, crying into the shoulder of what Artemis felt like as a friend would do.

Unknown to Artemis, on the outskirts of the village of Hogsmeade, one Remus Lupin was awaking in the Shrieking Shack. As the light of the morning seeped into the dingy windows, he took in a deep breath to greet the day. He felt a great deal of pain throughout his body, his muscles aching considerably, and could feel what he knew to be fresh wounds on his chest. Slowly coming to a full state of awakeness, he opened his amber eyes to the world after what he knew must have been a rough evening. He had not expected, however, the sight he found before him.

Seated in two wooden chairs across the room were his two best mates, James and Sirius. The boys were usually gone the morning after his transformations, as to ensure that Madame Pomfrey would only find Remus when she came to collect him for the Hospital Wing. His eyes widened though, as he realized the state that they were in. James' face had a small gash on it, and his hair looked disheveled, even more so that his usual unkempt look. Sirius on the other hand was nursing what appeared to be a broken arm, and a black eye. His hair too, was extremely ruffled, even more apparent considering how long it was. The two of them sat facing their friend, looks of deep concern on their faces. Remus' heart sank; something was wrong.

"What is it? What happened to you two?" he asked immediately, painfully attempting to sit up in his bed. James and Sirius protested, jumping up and forcing him to lie back down. Remus begrudgingly agreed, but was struck with concern. "What is it then? Please, please tell me I didn't do this to you."

"Moony, we're fine," James insisted, looking anything but. Remus was about to open his mouth again, when Sirius cut him off.

"No really mate, we're okay. It's just..." He looked to James for support, who opened and closed his mouth, trying to get the right words out.

"Just spit it out already! What happened?" Remus shouted hoarsely, unable to take it any longer. James jumped, cleared his throat, and finally answered in a grave voice.

"It's Artemis."


	16. The Dog, the Stag, and the Werewolf

Hey guys! A few quick notes, so please please please read! First off, I made some edits to the previous chapter after a good lot of you read and reviewed it, so just in case, go back and make sure that you've read it all. I just added a bit at the end involving Remus and the boys, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, kip on back and read it now, kay?

Second, I got everyone's messages about that updating fiasco. That was totally my fault. You see, I decided to change a character's name. From this point forth, the DADA professor's name is going to be **Professor Shannon**, because the name I originally used was from someone in real life, and now someone I know is reading this story, so I don't want them blabbing back to my friend that inspired to character. Tehehe. So, I changed the name. In the process, I also had to change it in the previous chapters, and unaware that I could simply update a chapter, I deleted the previous ones and reuploaded them with the edits. This was a total stupid move on my part, and I'm really sorry guys!

But, this time it's the real deal! I have a nice long chapter for you all, and I'm already writing the next one! Hope you all enjoy it, and I hope you're all having lovely holiday breaks like me! So good to be home! Enjoy!

* * *

Remus took a deep intake of breath feeling extremely weak, his heart sinking down the pit of his stomach. Looking at his two closest friends, he saw nothing but apprehension and worry in their eyes. He trusted these two with his life, and no matter how much they protested, he knew that their injuries couldn't have stemmed from anything other than himself. He knew that it was dangerous for them to allow themselves to change with him with ever full moon and accompany him through the darkest nights of his life. They made his transformations easier, though; he felt less and less pain after each full moon because he knew that they stopped him from scratching and clawing at himself. They allowed him to interact rather than just attack his own body. He owed them so much for what they had brought into his life.

But seeing them in this state, Remus thought that they would have to have a serious discussion about them continuing to venture out during full moons. But as soon as the words left James' lips, Remus' heart sunk even further, reaching an abyss he couldn't have even imagined.

"It's Artemis."

Remus' head became flooded with images of every possibility of what that simple statement could mean. His head began to spin with thoughts of her in the forest, if he possibly attacked her, if she was…He became frantic, sitting up in his bed in an instant, this time his friends not stopping him. Sweat broke out on his brow, and his sunken heart began to beat madly in terror.

"…is she…did I…please say I didn't…" Remus began, unable to finish his sentences as he gazed with wide eyes at his fellow Marauders, his body screaming at him for the sudden movement.

"No no, she's alright," James insisted pulling one of the wooden chairs over to the side of the bed, and straddling it. "We made sure she was in good hands."

"What do you mean, 'in good hands'?" Remus demanded, getting frustrated at the lack of information he was receiving. "What happened? What does she have to do with anything at all?"

Sirius began to pace slowly, uncomfortable with the truth of what had happened the previous night. He knew how difficult explaining the events that unfolded would be, and how much more difficult it would be for Remus to hear. Artemis had gone into the forest with no intentions to leave, and Sirius knew that a large portion of that decision was because of his actions. He also knew that Remus would recognize this fact, and was not sure how his friend would handle what they were about to share with him. He looked to James for help to begin, and with that que, the brown eyed boy began the tale.

"I don't know exactly when it happened," James began, pushing his glasses up a little farther on his nose, with Remus staring intently in his eyes. "We were in the forest of course, and me and Sirius were guiding you away from where the unicorns usually stay so that nothing happened to them. But all of a sudden, you stopped, and went kind of funny. You smelled the air, like you'd caught the scent of something. And then you howled, and we knew something was off."

Ruffling his hair, hesitant to continue, James looked to Sirius who was still pacing, now also chewing on his finger nails as the story unfolded. The two of them locked eyes, both remembering the sight of their friend as he suddenly became the monster from their textbooks.

"Well what happened then?" Remus demanded, refusing to allow them to stop talking. He needed to know what had transpired, he needed to know what happened that involved Artemis, if he had hurt her in any way.

"Well, you howled, and then all of a sudden, you bolted away, mate," Sirius continued, sitting down in the chair that remained against the opposite wall. "Prongs and I flipped out, not really knowing what you were after. We hoped it was just a deer, but you were moving in a way that we had never really seen before when you hunted."

"So, we finally catch up to you, yeah?" James piped in, fidgeting with his fingers as he spoke. "And you had run to the edge of this clearing, and just stopped. So we circle around, wondering what is going on, when we heard her. It was Artemis. She was there, in the bloody snow with barely more than her robes on, just staring you down like she'd be frozen to the spot. And then she started yelling out at you."

"Yelling?" Remus asked, suddenly confused. Artemis had said that she didn't know the identity of the werewolf. Why then would she choose to confront him in his wolf form? She had to have known the great danger that it brought upon herself. "What was she saying?"

At this James looked away, unsure whether his friend would want to hear it. He looked to Sirius, but the shaggy haired boy was looking at the floor, unresponsive. Seconds passed, as Remus awaited an answer. When none came, he raised his voice.

"What did she say?" he yelled to the two boys before him, unable to stop his anger. They knew how he felt about Artemis, about how he could have harmed her, and they were leaving him hanging. He needed them to tell him what happened, exactly as it happened, no matter how horrible or gruesome it was. "Merlin, just tell me already!"

"She said, 'Come at me! Kill me already!'" Sirius stuttered out, unable to look his friend in the eye. At these words, Remus was stunned into silence. Guilt flooded his mind, as he realized the implications of those words. Artemis had gone to the forest looking for the werewolf. She had no idea of its identity still, no idea that it was him, the boy that had tried so hard to get to know her. No, she had gone knowing that the moment he smelled her, he would try to kill her. And she had wanted him to do it. The idea deeply upset Remus, to know that Artemis felt so much despair and betrayal that she had attempted to end her life, and in such a gruesome way. The worst part of the entire affair is that he knew the trigger for this decision had to be the previous night after the misguided and cruel prank the others had pulled, and her misunderstanding of his involvement.

Remus knew that at the end of the day, she had suffered a great deal of pain, and it crushed him to know that she had wanted to end her life, that she thought this world had nothing left for her.

Suddenly, however, he looked up to his friends, regret swimming in their eyes.

"But you said she's alright," Remus said in a husky voice, unable to hide his emotion. His amber eyes stared deeply into the others', still ingrained with panic and worry. "What happened to her, then?"

James nodded, and continued the story knowing that the worst was over.

"After she yelled, you jumped to attack her. Padfoot jumped over her, knocked you out of the way so you couldn't get to her."

"And while I kept you occupied, James got Artemis and ran to get her as far away as possible," Sirius continued, moving his chair closer to the bed as well, as the nature of the events began to unfold.

"I wasn't really sure how I could move her out of harm's way at first," James said uneasily, grimacing at the memory. "I kind of had to shove her, and uhm…in the process, I kind of launched her into a tree and knocked her out. I sort of rolled her onto my back with my antlers though, and I got her away from the clearing we were in."

"Was she alright though, did I go after her?" Remus asked quickly, as he played out the possible scenarios in his head over and over, not finding any possible happy ending for the situation.

"Yeah, she was okay. Well, I mean, I think I might have bruised her up a bit with the antlers," James said sheepishly with a low voice. "But I figured as long as I got her far enough way, she'd be alright."

"And while Prongs did that, I scuffled around with you, making sure you didn't go after them," Sirius explained, which made Remus realize why he was in such nasty shape. His black eye, and what could only be a broken arm glared Remus down, their origins finally understood.

"Padfoot, I did this to you?" Remus said with the smallest of voices, his worst fears realized. Sirius shrugged it off, as though a broken limb was the smallest of injuries. Remus knew that it could be fixed once the boys went back to the Potter's home, but he still felt anger at himself for allowing it to happen at all. "I am so sorry, Sirius."

"Oi, I know what I'm getting into going out with our furry little friend," Sirius retorted, standing again and moving around the room. "I know that what happens out there isn't really you, it isn't something you intentionally do. Don't you dare get buggered out over me."

"I know, but—"

"But nothing, Moony, case closed," Sirius said with a tone of finality. "Anyway, back to Miss Titus, yes?"

Remus nodded enthusiastically, turning back to James' warm gaze. The boy continued.

"So, once Sirius had gotten you far enough away, I was starting to freak, wondering how I could get her back to the castle without completely blowing our cover. I ended up running into the centaurs, and I will tell you what, it is bloody impossible talking to half of them. But I put her down, and changed back to normal, and asked if they could help, saying we were students, the like. Nasty bunch some of them, got all offended that I dare assume they would help me. But one of them, a big one named Firenze, said that the least they could do was bring Artemis to Hagrid's, and that once Hagrid had her, he could take care of her. So, I gave Artemis to him, and he carried her to Hagrid's. I changed back to Prongs, and watched to make sure Hagrid brought her up to the castle. I'm sure from there she was taken care of, mate. It's the only thing I could think of to do."

Remus nodded, taking in a deep sigh of relief. His friends had done good, and had adverted danger. Remus still felt absolutely miserable over the circumstances however. None of their actions would have been necessary if they hadn't been so cruel to Artemis in the first place. As Remus looked at his friends, however, he knew that they found no joy in Artemis' attempted suicide. In fact, they both looked deeply pained over their actions. Remus knew one thing though. If he ever had any hope of returning to the way things were with Artemis, his friends would somehow have to apologize.

"Listen," Remus began, gritting his teeth to ignore the pain that his body was still in. "It means a lot that you too helped save Artemis and stop me. You have completely saved my arse, and well, you really did save her life. But, she doesn't know that it was you two. She's going to wake up this morning, or whenever, and still think that everyone hates her. I have to know that that will change."

"No, it definitely will, mate, promise," James said with conviction, placing a hand on his mate's shoulder. "We were wrong to not listen to you and hear her out. And this entire thing, this whole night, it's our fault. We'll make sure she knows how sorry we are."

"Now that doesn't mean we're suddenly gonna be all chummy with her now, yeah?" Sirius asked, a look of uncertainty in his eyes. Remus and James looked over at him, with blank stares. "Alright, alright, I'll try to be nice, maybe get to know her."

"And bloody well, Padfoot," Remus replied, lying back down in his bed, trying to get his muscles to relax. "Because you two have a lot more in common that you would think."

"Things in common with me, Moony?" Sirius said in a now playful voice, sitting at his bedside in one fluid motion. "But I thought I was a beautiful, unique, snowflake!"

"Snowflake, my arse!" James called out, causing Sirius to jump up and begin chasing James around the room despite his broken arm. The Gryffindor Chaser was too fast, however, weaving around the room and easily staying out of Sirius' grasp as if he were the Golden Snitch. Remus watched his friends, forcing himself to ignore the pain that racked his body, and instead just enjoy the moment. Remus knew that what his friends had done was wrong, and now, so did they. He hoped that someday Artemis would see them the way that he saw the two boys who had now collapsed back into their seats, and vice versa.

Back in the Hospital Wing, Artemis had calmed down. Rather, Madame Pomfrey had given her a potion that had calmed her down. Regardless, she now lay back in her cot, wondering where to move forward from here. She wanted things to change, and she now realized that running away didn't get a person very far. It just made them feel foolish. So, of Dumbledore's two options, she would choose to confront her fears, confronts the people who had chosen to torment or flat our ignore her, confront her family. She would not allow herself to be unheard. As she thought of these plans, she knew that the first person she wanted to speak to was Remus Lupin, without a doubt. Regardless of what everyone had said and done to her over the past few years, none had gone through the great trouble of faking a friendship with her, getting her to truly open up and think she had made a friend, only to snap her back to reality. It was cruel what Remus and his friends had done. Artemis didn't know what would happen when she eventually confronted Remus; she didn't even know if she wanted it to end amicably. She just wanted him to know that he had hurt her in ways that no one had ever done before.

* * *

It didn't matter what Artemis thought of saying anymore, at Madame Pomfrey approached with another goblet, this one steaming and nearly transparent, with a slight tint of lavender. After all of Artemis' attempts to recollect the previous night's events, she still didn't understand what had saved her from the werewolf in the end. She did know however, that it hadn't been easy. The nurse had already healed the broken rib that Artemis had somehow received, not to mention the concussion on her head that had to have been the result of being forced into one of the forest trees before she blacked out. Now, Madame Pomfrey only wanted Artemis to rest, the potion that she was being offered now a simple sleeping draught to allow her to drift off peacefully and without dreams. Artemis took the goblet gratefully, downing the potion as fast as she could knowing that sleeping draughts tasted something fierce. Once the goblet was placed down at her bedstand, Madame Pomfrey bade her a good night, and Artemis' world fell around her…

…Until suddenly, her eyes were open again. Artemis knew that she had indeed slept a long period of time. For one thing, she felt extremely refreshed and well rested. For another, she had been put to sleep in the morning, light streaming in through the tall windows of the Hospital Wing. Now, Artemis gazed around the wing that was being lit only by the light of the recently waning moon. She didn't know what time it was, but when Artemis turned on her side, she saw clearly that the lights were out in Madame Pomfrey's office and sleeping quarters. The mediwtich had gone to bed for the night. Artemis sighed, content to close her eyes and fall back to sleep, when her eyes closed in on the cot right next to Madame Pomfrey's office, and farthest away from her. Artemis didn't understand, there surely hadn't been that many sick students, seeing as how only a handful actually stayed behind for winter holidays.

The pale blue curtains around this cot were closed, completely blocking the patients in question from view. Artemis stared at the cot for a second longer, before continuing to lie on her back, facing the ceiling. It was probably just a younger student, that she had a run in with Peeves, or a suit of armor. It could be anyone, really. She pulled her blue covers over to more tightly, closing her eyes and attempting to fall back asleep. But every few seconds, she found herself opening her eyes again, unable to stop thinking about who the student was. If the curtains were drawn, that meant that the injury was serious, and that the student needed privacy. Artemis had no idea what time of the night it was, how deeply both Madame Pomfrey and the student in question would be. But her curiosity got the better of her.

Peeling her sheets off her of, Artemis lightly got out of her bed, and quickly padded across the floor. She didn't have a wand with her, so she knew that she couldn't use _Muffliato_ to allude Madame Pomfrey. She had to be as quiet as possible, and just get a peek at the student behind the curtain. As Artemis approached the curtained bed, and lightly grabbed the edge of the blue hangings, and pulled them back. When her eyes made contact with the person who lay beyond the curtain, she dropped it, instead muffling a gasp with her hand. It was dark, but she couldn't possibly have been mistaken about who that person was. Taking a deep breath, Artemis approached the bed again, raising a hand, and slowly and silently pulled back the curtain.

It was Remus, lying serenely in the bed, the moonlight hitting his pale skin and making it glow. She lay without a shirt, a bandage wrapped around his chest, already beginning to soak through with blood. He also had a smaller cut on his face, one that was fresh, but no longer bleeding. Artemis was paying attention to a far more gripping detail, however. When the moonlight hit Remus just so, it completely illuminated the scars that covered his body. His chest, arms, neck, and face was covered in faint scars, scars that normally wouldn't be visible to the human eye. They were the worst on his chest, as though something that repeatedly scratched him over and over. Remus' hair was completely disheveled, sandy hair going in nearly every direction. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, however, lying perfectly still, but breathing in deeply.

Artemis' mouth was gaping open as she saw his scars and wounds. How had this happened to him? What had injured him so greatly? Madame Pomfrey could heal a cut in a second, but the wound on his chest was cursed; it wouldn't heal with normal spells or potions. Artemis looked at Remus' face, wondering what on Earth he was doing there at all; Remus had gone home for the holidays, he didn't belong in the Hospital Wing, he needed to be at St. Mungos. There had to be a reason that he was here instead.

As a cloud completely uncovered the waning moon, letting more light into the Hospital Wing, Artemis was struck with a sudden moment of clarity. Her eyes wide, she stumbled backwards until she bumped into the next cot, finally sitting down. Her mind racing, she stared at Remus, marveling at her sudden realization. It made complete sense, and it gave the entire previous evening a whole new meaning. She sat like that for what seemed like ages, staring at Remus like she had never seen anything quite like him, and before she knew it, she felt tears streaming from her eyes.

Remus felt himself wake up, but did not initially open his eyes. How many times now had Madame Pomfrey come to collect him from the Shrieking Shack? How many nights had he spent in the Hospital Wing, waiting for his most recent wounds to heal? This time should have been one of the easier trips; no one was supposed to be here. Instead, Remus had found himself waking up every few hours, unable to sleep knowing that Artemis was just a few cots away from him. He wanted to look outside of his curtains and see if she was alright, see if she was sleeping soundly unlike him. He had half a mind to get up and do it now, when he heard it. There was someone there, someone near him. And so, Remus opened his eyes, to find Artemis no longer a few cots over, but instead standing right before him. Or sitting, rather, as she was perched atop the bed directly next to his. Remus blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and once his vision cleared, he saw that she was staring directly at him…

"Artemis," Remus rasped out, sitting up in his bed immediately, ignoring the dull pain in his muscles. "You're crying."

Artemis just stared at him, her hair glowing in the moonlight like she was a veela, her thin frame still all for the tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were intense, looking at him like she suddenly knew how the world would end, and didn't know how to tell anyone about it. He waited for her to speak, for her to move, he waited to understand what was happening. Finally, she moved her lips.

"It's…It's you," she whispered, her eyebrows furrowing, her arms folded across her chest. She opened her mouth to continue, before closing it again as though she had thought better. Remus shook his head, not understanding. He took a breath, about to say something, when she cut him off. "You're the werewolf."


End file.
